Don't Go Towards The Dark
by Jenn'sFics
Summary: After the defeat of the Darach, the McCall pack regrouped accordingly, knowing that things would never be the same. The supernatural tree stump that had basically started all these problems made sure of it. However, when something...demonic heads into town, nobody expected the trouble it would cause, especially with Stiles. Demon!Stiles, Allisaac, Scott/OC, minor Stydia. Post 3A.
1. Lacrosse and Nightmares

When the McCall pack finally defeated the Darach and tried—key word, _tried_—to go back to normal, they really should have expected the unsettling silence that settled over Beacon Hills. It was the calm before the storm, many of them figured. Everyone felt like a ticking time bomb was about to implode, they just didn't know when. The worst part? Without any clue of what was going to happen next, the pack couldn't fight back. They were practically helpless.

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><p>"Scott, <em>I swear to god<em>, if you wolf out one more time, I'll kick you in the balls." Stiles rambled, thoroughly irritated at Scott's super strength. He just wanted to practice lacrosse, dammit! The kid didn't have to go mega-wolf every chance he got. With Scott being a big douche and not letting him score, he was getting more and more frustrated, almost to the point where he wanted to quit and try again tomorrow. Lately, investing himself in sports had been a great distraction from the not sleeping _at all_, dizziness, and nightmares that he got when he finally _did_ sleep. Ever since the Darach, aka Derek's evil ex-girlfriend, he hadn't been feeling like himself at all. Besides from when he was alone with Scott, he had been getting extremely irritable and jittery. Visions of his friends dying terrified him when he was asleep, so he did his best to stay awake. He even cut down on his ADHD medicine, knowing that it would just calm him down, maybe even give him more time to think about everything that's happened.

"Aw, c'mon man! It's not my fault you can't keep up!" Scott chuckled.

"Well, _I would_ be able to if you didn't use your wolfie-alpha powers!" Stiles huffed, going to sit on the bleachers and put his gear away. When Scott sat next to him and nudged him, he couldn't hold back a smirk. "You know, just because you're the big bad alpha now doesn't mean you have to be as annoying as Derek." Derek, as in Derek Hale, as in the sourwolf that still hadn't returned after two months, had only contacted them twice, mainly to see how his loft was holding up with Isaac living there. Both times, true to his nickname, he was both irritated and impassive.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I'm just preparing you for tryouts next week! Coach said he's only taking the best, and we know that means _'I'm only taking you if you are a good player, or you don't annoy the living crap out of me.'. _You're already ruled out in one of those categories, so we need to make you better at lacrosse." Scott seemed proud of his logic, picking up his duffel bag with a grin. Out of all of them, he was the one who seemed the most different to Stiles. After the 'pack' exchanged stories the day after the eclipse, Stiles had noticed how Scott seemed different, not just physically, but mentally as well. He was just... _better, _it seemed. He looked healthier, the stress lines that had built up over the weeks practically disappeared, and he was standing taller, as if he grew two inches overnight. Nobody but Stiles seemed to noticed the change, but as Scott's best friend, how could he not? The leadership had been practically oozing off of him ever since, and Stiles had been cracking many 'big bad mommy-wolf' jokes when Scott seemed to forget that Stiles was a human, and therefore couldn't help but question his orders sometimes. Like, for example, his decision to let Aiden and Ethan in the pack, which Stiles was still peeved about. His arguments against that had been going on for the past three weeks, but Scott still hadn't changed his mind.

"-iles? Are you even listening to me? Stiles!" Scott's hand on his shoulder effectively brought Stiles out of his thoughts of the past. Stiles turned to see Scott's concerned look, which he had already been getting from his dad way too much lately. Nearly busting down the door to get to his terrified, screaming son that had just suffered from a nightmare had been making Sheriff Stilinski a lot more worried lately. "_Stiles!_ Seriously man, snap out of it!" Scott led a distracted Stiles to their lockers, opening his and shooting his friend another worried look.

Stiles finally snapped out of it, shaking his head and stuffing his bag in the crowded gym locker in front of him. "Yeah- uh, sorry. I'm just spacing a lot." When Scott gave him another look, he sighed. "Look, Scotty, I'm _fine_. Really, it's just all this stuff that's been going on."

Scott still didn't back down, though, following Stiles as they walked into the halls to first period. The only reason he had agreed to practice with Stiles an hour before school was because he knew Stiles wanted them to be on the team together, and when he called this morning, Scott noticed how he sounded a little desperate and jumpy on the phone. "I know, dude, but it's been _two months_. Allison and I are adjusting fine. Meanwhile, you look like you haven't slept in weeks, and you smell like coffee half the time." He put a hand on Stiles shoulder, pulling him around to look him in the eye. "If anything's wrong, Stiles, I need to know. We can talk to Deaton or something."

"Scott, no. _I'm okay_!" When he voice started getting louder, he took a deep breath. "I just need a little more time to let everything simmer down, alright?" He rushed down the hall, refusing to let Scott finish his protests. "I'll see you later!"

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><p>By the time Scott had come to sit with her, Allison, and Isaac, Lydia felt like she would drown under the awkward and sexual tension. Allison and Isaac had been eyeing each other ever since the eclipse, and Lydia figured they should just have sex and get it over with before everyone around them suffocates. She ignored them, leaning over the table and stealing one of Scott's water bottles. "Hey, Scott." She said sweetly, taking a sip.<p>

He sighed, looking over at her. "Hey, Lydia." The stress in his voice didn't go unnoticed by any of them, but Lydia figured that, if something was truly wrong, he'd tell them. Allison, however, didn't think the same, and shifted her confused eyes to Scott, who looked back at her blankly. "What? He asked, irritated.

"What do you mean, what? You seem stressed. What's wrong?" Allison asked, taking a bit of her salad.

Scott sighed, politely greeting the twins as they sat on either side of him. Isaac however, glared at both of them. Other than Stiles, Isaac was the only to openly protest their acceptance in the pack weeks ago. It was expected, though: he, Erica, and Boyd had been through tough stuff together, and he was there for Boyd's death. "I don't know what's wrong, to be honest." Scott's voice cut through the tenseness, making everyone turn to him.

"I'm just worried about Stiles. Like, extremely worried." He was relieved Danny was in practice today, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to talk about this with his pack. "He says he's fine, but I know he hasn't been sleeping. He has dark circles under his eyes and he's practically drowning himself in coffee. I talked to his dad after second period, and he said Stiles woke up and three a.m. last night and last week, screaming his lungs out and crying. The last time he did that was when.." Scott hesitated.

"When _what_?" Lydia snapped, effectively turning attention to her. Aiden's attention, mostly. She could feel him staring at her but she ignored and raised her eyebrows at Scott, who sighed.

"The last time Stiles had nightmares like that was after his mom died." He shook his head, visibly tensing. "He couldn't stay at the hospital the night his mom passed because they had to remove her body, so his dad made him stay with us-" Scott seemed too focused on the past now, but kept telling the story.

_"Mom, what's happening?!" Young, little Scott wailed, crying along with his screaming best friend. He watched as the said best friend, Stiles Stilinski, started convulsing next to him on his superhero bed covers. His mother, Melissa, barged in and immediately wrapped her arms around the screaming boy. _

_"Scott, go get a glass of water honey, please!" She ordered, trying to restrain Stiles from jerking around and hurting himself. His wails were deafening, and neither Scott or his mom could make out his words. "Go, Scott, now!" _

_As Scott ran down stairs, he listened to his brother's screams as they cleared-the screams that he would remember for the rest of his life. "N-No, Mom! Please! No, oh god, come back! Please, Mom! **NO, MOM!**" _

Scott snapped out of it, finally realizing how much he told them. "That was a month before his first panic attack, but he had so many nightmares that his doctor suggested giving him sleeping pills that would basically shut down his mind. As far as I know, the first time he's woken up like that, since, was a week ago." Scott sighed, looking around at his pack: Allison, Isaac, Ethan, Lydia, and Aiden. Only one person was missing, possibly the most important person in his life. His Brother.

Isaac broke they silence that followed, frowning. "So, what do we do?"

Scott thought about it for a moment, contemplating. "I want Lydia, Isaac, and Allison to do some research on nightmares and symptoms of, you know, 'opening yourself up to the darkness' and stuff. Aiden and Ethan, I want you guys to try to contact Derek, see where he is and if or when he's coming back. I have a couple things to ask him. I'm going to talk to Deaton, see if he knows anything."

"Isn't Stiles going to figure this out? He doesn't really hang out with anyone but you anymore, Scott, and he might want to hang out with you later." Allison said, biting her lip nervously.

Scott thought about it for a moment. "Your right, I guess. He knows I'm probably going to look into this." He turned to Lydia with his pleading puppy look, the one he _knew_ she couldn't say no to. "Lydia, do you mind hanging out with Stiles later? Offer to help him with math, or something?"

Lydia sighed, annoyed that Aiden was staring at her again. She could practically feel the upset longing in his eyes and, for a second, she felt guilty. But she _knew_ she had to do this. "Fine! As long as it'll help Stiles."


	2. Insomnia

Hey! Um, I see this story's got some new followers and reviewers. I'm not really good at this, so I'm just gonna keep it short. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Keep reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.

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><p>It took a lot of convincing to get Stiles to agree to spend a night with her, much to Lydia's displeasure. She practically had to invite herself, which shocked her. Ever since the eclipse, she knew Stiles was getting used to her and Aiden, but not once did she ever think he was uninterested. Believe it or not, she had always kind of relied on the fact that Stiles was there for her and would continue to be.<p>

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><p>"Stiles, your room is a <em>wreck<em>." Lydia dropped her Prada bag, raising her eyebrows at Stiles's bedroom. Or at least, what _used to_ be a bedroom. The walls had printed research taped to them, toped with pictures of anything that looked remotely close to a wolf, hunter, or lizard person. Lydia shivered at that last one. _Those are memories I've tried way to hard to block, _she thought. The desk was practically buried under papers and books, and his bed sheets were ruffled, like he hadn't made them up in weeks. "Seriously, it's like a 7.8 hurricane happened in here."

"Yeah, thanks." Stiles rolled his eyes sarcastically, sitting down in his desk chair. He looked on as Lydia made herself comfortable in his bed. "Look, Lydia, you don't have to do this. I know you'd much rather be shopping with Allison, or hanging out with Aiden or something, so."

She didn't exactly have an argument for that because, in truth, she would have much rather spent a girl's night with Allison. They hadn't had one since they all nearly died. She stayed quiet, not bothering to agree or disagree with him.

After about five minutes of painful silence, Stiles finally decided to speak up. "Why are you here, Lydia? Besides the fact that we aren't really close, you haven't spoken to me in two weeks." He turned his back to her, sorting through some of the papers on his desk. "And don't give me some bull crap about helping me with homework, we both know that I could be just as smart as you if I wanted."

Lydia snorted. "Don't put too much confidence in yourself Stiles, that's a huge hurdle to jump."

"Okay, that's not fair! We both know I suck at hurdles." He started twiddling with a pen, chuckling.

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><p>Scott hopped off his motorcycle, taking his helmet off. He walked into Deaton's, and headed to the back, hoping his boss was still there. It was Scott's shift tonight anyway, but usually Deaton stayed to talk to him about the side effects of dying and coming back to life. Lucky for him, there wasn't much. Sometimes he felt a little off, but for two months he hadn't felt anything close to the darkness Deaton described to him.<p>

"What can I do for you, Scott?" The vet walked out of his office in the back, meeting Scott half way at the tables where, not too long ago, the twins nearly died.

"Something's wrong with Stiles." Scott got straight to the point, looking at his boss worriedly. "We don't know exactly what yet, and I was hoping you could figure it out."

"Why do you think something's wrong with him?" Deaton looked concerned, but not shocked, which was expected. He had warned them about being exposed to a darkness like the Nematon months ago and knew it was only a matter of time until something happened.

"He hasn't been sleeping, from what I can tell. I haven't ever seen him drink so much caffeine. Uh, I called his dad a few hours ago. He said that Stiles was having nightmares so bad that he needed to scream himself awake." Scott paused as Deaton grabbed a notepad and started writing stuff down. "He's been getting really irritated lately, and sometimes its just out of the blue. He's also been more jittery than usual." The werewolf was just listing now, looking more and more concerned as he realized, _finally realized_, that something was really wrong with his friend. "I also think he's not taking his Adderall anymore, because he's been really compulsive."

Deaton looked down at his list, eyebrows furrowed. _Insomnia, nightmares, irritation, jumpiness, compulsiveness. _"Anything else?" When Scott shook his head, Deaton sighed. "Well, lucky for you, it just sounds like he's sleep deprived. Keep an eye on him, to be safe, but I don't think anything's wrong. I do suggest that you should stay at his house for a while. Keep him away from caffeine, make sure he sleeps."

Scott nodded and sighed; he was relieved more than concerned now. "His dad's going out of town this weekend, and I'm pretty sure I could stay with him 'till Monday." Deaton agreed and, seeing how mentally exhausted his employee looked, told Scott to take the night off.

As Scott was getting on his bike, his phone rang, and Allison's face popped up on the screen. The picture was changed to one Scott took of her not too long ago, but every time he saw it, he was suddenly reminded of the picture he used to have of her, where she was kissing his cheek. He answered, holding the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Scott, we found something." The urgency in Allison's voice pretty much destroyed any sense of relief he had, and it shook him.

"What?"

"The stuff you said Stiles was going through? Most of them are signs of demon possession." He noticed that Allison had fear in her voice too, and suddenly got a picture of Isaac comforting her, like he used to do. He was bothered, but the words Allison said shook him out of it.

"What do you mean by _demon possession?_"

"I don't have all the details right now, but basically, if he _is_ actually possessed, anyone around him could be hurt in an instant." Allison paused, and Scott guessed that she was realizing the same thing he was. "Oh my god, Scott, we need to get him away from Lydia-" Scott hung up, putting his phone in his pocket and getting on his bike. Thoughts were swirling around his head as he started speeding off, but one stood out. _Why wouldn't Deaton know about this?_

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><p>After about thirty minutes of bantering with Lydia, Stiles started feeling tired. The boy excused himself, going downstairs to the kitchen for some coffee. He was pouring himself a cup when a pain exploded in the back of his head, making him drop his mug onto the counter clumsily.<p>

_Stiles._

The voice in Stiles's head suddenly interrupted his thoughts on the pain. He panicked, putting the container of coffee on the counter next to his broken mug and putting a hand on his head. It hurt, so badly that he bit his tongue to keep from screaming. He felt himself back up against the wall harshly, his legs moving in jerky movements.

_Let me have it, Stiles._

Stiles gasped, pressing both of his hands into his head. "Who are you?" He muttered, sliding down the wall to sit roughly. "What do you want?" He felt something drip down his face and onto his lips, tasting like salt. More of it started dripping until Stiles was convinced his whole face was soaked with the mysterious liquid.

_Stop crying, Stiles. Just let go._

"Who are you!?" Stiles yelled. His ears began ringing, louder and louder until all he heard was a shrill buzzing. He removed his hands from his head, seeing that blood covered them, the nails most caked in red. _My ears are bleeding. Why are my ears bleeding?_

_Let go, Stiles._

"Let go of what? I don't-" Stiles started hyperventilating, his chest closing up. The pain in his head felt like it was doubling, and he had to put his hands on his head in a sad attempt to stop his ears from bleeding. When he tried to get up, his legs gave out from under him.

_Stiles, just-_

The voice in his head didn't get to finish as the boy started screaming at the top of his lungs, crying out. He kept on, even as he heard Lydia run down the stairs and quickly crouch down next to him. He kept hearing the voice in his head, the volume of it unaffected by the screaming.

_That's it, Stiles. Let go, boy, and I promise you won't feel this ever again._

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><p>Short chapter, I know, but luckily I have a four day weekend and lots of time to write! :)<p> 


	3. Brain Tumors

Hey guys! Um, just wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed since last chapter! It really meant a lot :) Anyways, here's the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen wolf or any of it's characters.

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><p>Stiles kind of expected to wake up in a hospital bed.<p>

I mean, when you collapse in a screaming fit and your ears start bleeding, where else are your friends and family going to take you?

Luckily, Stiles didn't wake with a creepy voice in his head. Instead he felt a cold cloth on his forehead, and heard a soothing voice that could only be recognized as Melissa's. "Hey, sweetie, open your eyes." He did as she said, immediately regretting it afterwards. _Who turned on the goddamn stadium lights? _

Stiles opened his eyes again, slower. He blinked a couple of times, looking around the room. It consisted only of his bed and about five chairs that surrounded it. He sighed, sitting back on his pillow and raising his hands to touch the bandages that were on the sides of his head. "How long was I out, Mama M?"

Melissa chuckled, putting the cloth down and sitting next to his legs on the bed. "About two days." She checked her watch. "The doctor said you wouldn't be awake 'till morning, but it's currently two a.m."

"What do they think is wrong with me?" Stiles attempted to sit up, and when Melissa didn't protest, he took a lead and moved to sit right next to her. Melissa sighed. Stiles looked over at her, noticing the worry lines and dread clear on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Stiles, they-" She sighed again, looking down at the clipboard in her lap. "The doctor that examined you figured that you had a surprise panic attack that was too much to handle. You clawed at the sides of your head a little, but they didn't really have an explanation for that."

From the tone of her voice, Stiles knew that wasn't all. "What else?" He sat straighter in panic, looking at her more urgently.

Melissa finally looked him in the eyes. "They also think you might have a brain tumor."

It took Stiles a minutes to comprehend her words, which Melissa expected. Inability to comprehend things quickly when you usually could was another sign of a brain tumor. Melissa also expected that Stiles would go into panic mode when he found out. "Wait-_What?_"

[AN: FYI, I was going to make the last chapter end at this point, but I didn't want to be cruel.]

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><p>Scott looked down at his stupid chemistry test, sighing. <em>I've spent the last three days studying demon possession and brain tumors, and they expect me to ace a chemistry test? <em>

As much as Scott tried to pay attention to his test the next few minutes, he couldn't. His mom had called him that morning and told him that Stiles was awake and not taking the news of his health well. Of course, Scott hadn't taken it well either. When The Sherriff and Melissa gathered Scott and his friends in a hospital room and told them that Stiles, skinny always-there Watson Stiles, had a brain tumor, Scott was the one who cried the hardest. Ever since, his friends had been stepping on eggshells around him. Isaac and Allison had tried to talk to him about anything _except_ Stiles, which he hated, and Lydia hadn't spoken to him at all. Aiden had only been speaking to him about Derek and the fact that he was somewhere in Arizona, which Scott didn't even care about anymore. Somehow, all of his friends completely avoiding the subject only made him think about Stiles more.

When the bell rang, Scott looked down at in unfinished test and shook his head, letting the teacher take it anyways. He gabbed his bag and headed out to the courtyard, sitting at their usual table for lunch. A few minutes later, everyone was with him, even Danny, who had recently found out about Stiles's brain tumor. The table remained quiet, the girls eating their salad while Isaac ate the school's horrible chili fries.

"Okay, is anyone going to ever get the balls to speak up?" Aiden burst out rudely.

Allison glared at him, banging her fork down on the table. "Aiden, we _agreed to_-"

"To what, Allison? Not speak Voldemort's name around Scott? He's our a-_friend_. He can handle it." He slipped up, nearly forgetting that Danny was there, but it didn't matter. Aiden's voice had a dangerous undertone, and Scott could tell that if they kept this up, he would shift.

When Danny excused himself and left, Ethan stepped into the conversation, glaring at his brother. "_Aiden._"

"What, Ethan?" Aiden clenched his jaw. "Has it ever occurred to you that Scott might want to talk about his best friend, who is possessed _and_ has a goddamn brain tumor!?"

"Well, you didn't have to-"

"God, just _save it_, Allison."

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me that way, you fur ball-"

"Or _what_? What are you gonna do, hunter?"

"Look, regardless of what's happening with Stiles, we all know your holding onto your place in this pack by a _thread_, so-"

"_Stop it, all of you!_" Scott shifted his eyes for a second, silencing all of his friends at the table. "Look, I've talked to Alison's dad about the demon and he said he could get it out if we somehow trap him, but leave Stiles's brain tumor out of your _stupid arguments._" Scott turned his attention to Aiden, growling under his breath. "_Especially_ you." He got up, ignoring the apologetic looks from everyone. "I'm visiting Stiles after school, if any of you want to come."

Lydia got up and followed him after he walked off, putting a hand of his arm when they got to his locker. "They're frustrated too, you know."

Scott sighed and rolled his eyes. "They shouldn't argue every five minutes about whether or not we can talk about Stiles." His demeanor changed clearly, signaling to Lydia that the conversation was over. He looked over at her, concerned alpha taking over. "You okay, Lydia?"

Lydia looked at him with her big, green eyes for a second. "I just- I can't help but think that this was my fault. I'm supposed to know when people are dying, right? Well, Stiles is dying. I should've-"

"You couldn't have done anything, Lydia." When they started walking towards English class, he took her hand in a friendly gesture. "Yes, you were with him, but you couldn't have done anything." When he saw that her expression never changed, he pursed his lips. "Listen, Lydia, _n__one_ _of us_ could've done anything."

Lydia licked her lips nervously, staying silent for a moment. She seemed to be arguing about something in her head, but she finally spoke up. "Scott, right before he started screaming, I felt something."

He looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

Lydia shook her head, tapping her hands on her thighs. "It was the same feeling I get right before I have to scream. It was...cold, and the lights flickered in Stiles's room for a second. I was about to scream, I _swear_, but the _split second_ I opened my moth, it all stopped."

"And then what?" Scott's senses spiked at his nervousness, and he could suddenly hear both of their heartbeats.

"Stiles screamed instead." Lydia sighed, stopping with Scott when they got to the door. "Look, Scott, I don't know what's happening, but if I'm getting those weird feelings around Stiles, then something _has_ to be wrong. Really wrong."

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><p>"Stiles?" Scott went inside his friends hospital room, making sure to be quiet. His mom had told him that Stiles had fallen asleep a little earlier, after finding out about his brain tumor.<p>

"Yeah, buddy?" The life in Stiles's vice definitely surprised Scott, since he didn't even expect him to be awake. Stiles was sitting up in his bed with a bunch of pamphlets surrounding him, over half about brain tumors._ Of curse he's doing research, _Scott thought to himself, rolling his eyes.

"I, uh, just wanted to stop by." Scott went and sat on a chair next to the bed, holing up a binder filled with papers. "I brought you your homework."

Stiles snorted, gathering up his pamphlets and putting them on the table beside his bed. "If you think I'm doing homework, Scotty, then you're _definitely_ the one with a brain tumor." His words were a tiny bit choppy, as if it took more effort to say them than think them. _He's been doing that for awhile now, _Scott realized.

At the mention of a brain tumor, the relaxed atmosphere that usually surrounded the pair was gone. Scott sighed, putting the binder full of work on the ground. "How long do you have to stay in the hospital?"

Stiles pursed his lips, shrugging. "Uh, a little longer for some tests. So far, your mom thinks the doctor is going to give me a craniotomy." When Scott gave him a blank look, Stiles cracked a little smile. "He's going to have a neurosurgeon make an opening in my skull and get as much of the tumor out as they can, then leave the rest to either radiation therapy or chemotherapy." When Scott gave him a black look, _again_, Stiles laughed, which made his friend smile as well. "Look, man, don't worry about it. I'll be fine, I hope."

Scott nodded, a content grin still on his face. He became sober after a second, caught up in thinking about the worst. "Did your mom have a brain tumor?"

Stiles shook his head. "Uh, no. She had something else." He kept it short, which Scott understood. The only time either of them talked about their lack of parents was when Scott had to rant about his dad. It was happening more frequently it the past two months, since Agent McCall was trying _really_ _hard_ to butt into Scott's life again. He even had the nerve to threaten to fight for custody, a statement that made both Scott and his mom laugh. Scott's eighteenth birthday was in two months, and by that time, the fight for custody wouldn't even be in court.

After about an hour of bantering and just talking, Scott's mom came in and told both of them that Stiles had another test. "You guys can talk for another minutes, but hurry it up, okay boys?" She gave them both a warm smile, closing the door behind her.

Stiles looked over at his best friend, noticing the worry lines that were becoming more apparent. "Hey dude, I'll be fine. I promise."

Scott cleared his throat and nodded. "I know, I just-" He sighed, walking closer to Stiles. "If something goes wrong, man-"

"It won't." The sureness in Stiles's voice made Scott even more upset, because he still hadn't spoken up about the possibility of a demon possessing him. Scott ignored the feeling, though, when Stiles pulled him in for a hug and patted his back. Under all the sureness of the hug, Scott could still feel Stiles shaking. He knew, by the fast beating of their hearts, that both him and his friend were scared.

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><p>Short chapter again, I know! I'm sorry :) I am planning to get another chapter up before tomorrow's episode, though.<p>

Anyways, I got a question for you guys. What do you think the McCall pack is gonna do next? Any theories? I'll give you a hint: sourwolf will _definitely_ be involved, and so will a new character.

Reviews and follows appreciated! Bye!

-Jen


	4. Demons, Cousins, and Supernatural

I know, I know. This chapter is horribly late. Long story short, I had some family business to take care of, and I just wasn't in the right headspace to write a chapter until now. :) Hope you guys understand, and thanks for all the lovely reviews.

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><p><em>Five Weeks Later<em>

Allison was getting sick and tired of everyone pretending Stiles was fine.

After his craniotomy four weeks ago, he was moved into the Beacon Hills Hospital ICU, where nobody could visit him. About a week after that, Stiles woke up and started taking neurologic examinations. Apparently, the craniotomy worked wonders, and he just had to take some drugs for chemotherapy to erase the tumor completely. Since he started, the doctors had been telling Melissa and the Sherriff that Stiles was making a miraculous recovery, one that would be complete in about four more weeks.

Basically, by the end of this month, they could all expect Stiles to be good as new.

But Allison was having doubts. She was all about statistics and, according to brain tumor websites online, a tumor as serious as Stiles's wasn't one that just _disappeared_, even after eight weeks. It was possible, but only by about six percent. _Then_, of course, she discovered that demons could heal their hosts with the purpose of making them stronger physically. It made _perfect _sense, really. So much sense that she had to tell the others before this _thing_ that was in Stiles got control.

When she voiced her opinion about this to the others in Derek's loft two weeks ago, their reactions were expected. Scott was mad-so mad that he just stayed quiet the entire time she was taking, uneven jaw set and grinding. Lydia walked off afterwards, giving Allison a clear 'I can't deal with this' look and slamming the door. She was especially sensitive to the news about Stiles, for reasons only known by her. Ethan and Isaac both sighed and shook their heads, looking extremely doubtful. The only person who even _considered_ her theory was Aiden, surprisingly. He didn't say anything, but she knew that he was thinking about it by the way he was just staring of into space.

Since then, Lydia and Scott were always tense whenever she was around. Scott's behavior was something Allison understood, because he had always been protective of Stiles. He told her that, even if he was starting to consider her theory, he didn't want her to do anything about it until she was sure. On the other hand, Lydia's façade of the super bitch was puzzling Allison. Wasn't _Lydia _the one who had been acting like Stiles didn't exist after she pushed him into freezing tub of water? Allison just didn't get her right now, at all.

Isaac was also avoiding her, but she knew it was probably because he didn't want things to be even more awkward between them. Ever since Isaac had pushed her into that tub, things between them weren't on a friend level. It was more of a 'I want things to happen with us so damn bad, but everything is just really messed up, so I'll do my best not to jump your bones.' level. When he told her to drop the demon theory until things settled down, she had to practically restrain herself from hitting him, because she knew that things would never settle down, not in a million years. Especially not with a goddamn _demon_ involved in the chaos.

So, Allison came to a conclusion. She _had_ to find a way to prove a demon was in Stiles, and she had to do it fast.

* * *

><p>Allison didn't know if her plan would work, but she felt better to the have Lydia with her and she drove to the hospital. The girls were still slightly tense around each other, but when Allison had asked for her help, the redhead had immediately come along.<p>

"_Why_ are we going with this bogus plan again?" Lydia turned her head to look at Allison, pursing her strawberry red lips. "I mean, your not even sure if it'll work."

"I'm pretty sure it will work!" Allison defended. "Look, as soon as we say God's name in Latin, the demon should reveal itself. If not, we just have to explain to Stiles how I was wrong."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "You mean really, _really_, idiotically wrong?" She paused for a second, stretching her hand out to turn the radio off. "Wait, wasn't that whole God's name thing in _Supernatural?_" When her friend stayed silent, she shook her head and scoffed. "I can't believe we're are doing this. This plan is from a t.v. show, Allison-"

"I know, I know, but some demonology websites say it actually works, ok?" Allison pulled into the hospital parking lot, stopping a little ways from the entrance.

Lydia walked towards he entrance with her, heels clicking. "Fine. But this is really low, even for you." She winked as they approached the desk.

Melissa looked up, seeing the girls and smiling politely. She didn't really spend time with either of them since Allison broke up with Scott, but she was still fond of them. "Hey guys, what can I do for you?" She put her hair up in a clip, looking tired. Ever since Stiles had his surgery, she had been taking extra shifts to take care of him. He wasn't really fond of the other nurses, especially because some of the tests he had to do involved _needles_, and the nurses weren't as kind as Melissa when it came to them.

"Can we talk to Stiles for a bit, Mrs. McCall?" Allison gave her a forced smile, which Lydia could see right through. "In health, we have to do this paper on diseases and injuries, and we were thinking of doing one on brain tumors."

Melissa raised an eyebrow at them, putting a hand on her hip. "Really? Because Scott told me that none of you were even taking health class this year." When Allison looked a little caught off guard, and Lydia rolled her eyes, she sighed. "He's in room 367. He might be asleep, but it's safe to wake him up." She smirked at them, writing something down on her clipboard.

As they walked away, Lydia gave a sly little smile. "I knew I liked her."

When they walked in, Stiles didn't look up, to wrapped up in _Lord_ _of_ _the_ _Rings_. Allison was surprised when she heard Lydia clear her throat instead of scoffing. Stiles looked up, startled. "Jesus Christ-" He nearly fell off the bed, closing his book and putting on the table beside him. "Um, hey, guys."

Allison examined the boy, noticing his dark circles and clammier-than-usual hands. She squinted her eyes at him and tilted her head to the side. "You okay, Stiles?" Lydia shifted nervously behind her, seeing how the hunter reached for the knife hidden in the waistband of her skirt.

Stiles glanced up at them, giving a false little smile and scratching the side of his face lightly. "Yeah, um, I'm just a little tired-"

"_Christo._" Surprisingly, it was Lydia who said the word, looking right at Stiles as she did. For a second, the boy just looked confused, and Allison feared she was wrong. But of course, the lights started flickering in the room and the boy in front of them winced, shutting his eyes.

When he opened them, they were black. Stiles-the demon _in_ Stiles, more like it-got up and smirked, tilting his head. He blinked, eyes going black to Stiles's soothing brown. His movements as he stepped forward were confident and graceful, not right with Stiles's body.

"Well I'll be damned." When it spoke, the voice was Stiles's, just so menacing and tough-even sexy, maybe-that it hurt Lydia's ears. "The hunter exposing me like the badass she is." He had an expression that morphed the face of Stiles into something evil, making both girls to hold their breath in fear. "To be honest, I expected it to be you."

"Who are you?" Lydia stepped up next to Allison and crossed her arms, looking brave. "Why are you inside Stiles?"

The demon turned, looking straight her. "You're Lydia, aren't you?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, I gotta tell you, there isn't a day that goes by where the little lamb doesn't think of you." He took a step closer, resting his hands in his pockets. "Now I know what all the hype is about."

"Answer her," Allison demanded, holding the knife at her side. "Answer her, or I swear to _god_-"

"Don't you _dare_ say God's name in vain, sweetheart." He smirked again. "You might attract something sinister."

When both of the girls glared at him, he sighed, putting his hands up. "Okay, tough crowd, I get it." He crossed his arms, taking a moment. "Well, long story short, I needed a host and Stiles was already on his breaking point when I stumbled upon him. Your little lamb was fainting, vomiting, _and_ loosing sleep, the poor thing. It was only a matter of time before he killed himself, as well. Fun fact, Lydia, he was actually planning to do it the night you invited yourself over!" He chuckled at Lydia's stunned expression, sitting back down on the bed as relaxed as a person could be. The whole time, his voice was low and gravelly, faking sadness. "That was the night I, uh, _invited_ myself into his head. I had no idea he would get a brain tumor, but I figured healing him would save me the trouble of finding another host."

"Why are you telling us this?" Lydia asked, shifting in her heels. Allison tightened the grip on her knife, feeling uneasy when the demon turned to her friend again.

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged, looking like Stiles for just a second. "You asked, sweetheart." The demon stood up and stepped towards her, stopping when he was close enough to look down at her face. As he took a strand of her strawberry blond hair in his hand, he smirked. "And not even Stiles's body could refuse you." Allison was tensing, about to hit him with her knife. As soon as the demon flashed his black eyes, she was pushed and pinned against the wall, knife across the room.

Lydia shut her eyes as her breath hitched. "If you're going to kill me, just get it over with." Even when she was scared, her voice was strong and sassy.

This made the demon chuckle and tugged his lips up into a gentle smile. "Please, gorgeous, I couldn't hurt you if I tried. Stiles is already screaming inside my head, and I couldn't imagine how aggravating he would be if I _did_ kill you." He stepped back, letting Allison fall as he released her. "Also, I _really_ want to see your reactions when I get Stiles's hands dirty."

"We'll tell Scott about you." Allison threatened him, standing up beside a horrified Lydia.

The demon raised an eyebrow, cocking his head. "Listen here, hunter. If either of you tell _anyone_ about our little chat, I'll snap sweet Melissa's neck so fast that Scott won't have time to weep." He smirked at them again, something both girls were getting annoyed at. "Then, I'll put so much blood on Stiles's hands that he'll have nightmares about it for years. Your Stiles will be _gone_, permanently, and it will all be because you two couldn't keep your pretty mouths shut." The demon's eyes shifted black again, staying hat way as he stared at them. "Now, strut out that door in your little skirts and keep our little secret, okay?"

Both girls did as he said, letting out a breath of air when the door closed behind them. Lydia looked at Allison, blinking back tears of fear. "We need to get that _thing_ out of Stiles, Allison."

"I know." Allison pursed her lips, looking back at the door with a troubled expression. "But if we tell anyone, he could hurt Melissa."

Lydia sighed and took her best friends hand as they walked back to the parking lot, taking the long way to avoid the front desk. She suddenly stopped, looking at Allison with wide eyes. "Allison, Stiles get's out of the hospital in _one week _for winter break. He might hurt someone. He might _kill_ someone."

"Not while I'm involved." A female voice interrupted them, coming from behind the two girls. "That demonic son-of-a-bitch is no match against me."

When they turned, Allison scrunched her eyebrows suspiciously. "And who are you?"

The girl, a petite dirty-blond with brow eyes and tan skin, smiled politely and nonthreateningly. "Whoa, girly, keep your dagger down. I mean no harm, promise."

"_Who are_ _you_?" Lydia repeated, sass in full swing.

The girl smiled kindly again, holding out her hand. "I'm Melissa Argent, your cousin."

* * *

><p>Isaac didn't know what to expect when he got home from a study session with Scott, but it definitely wasn't his old Alpha.<p>

He had walked from the school to the loft in ten minutes, talking on the phone with Allison, who had only told him that Stiles was asleep when they got there and didn't wake up. He couldn't hear her heartbeat through the phone, but could tell she was lying. Her voice was trembling slightly, and at one point he heard Lydia saying something in a panicked voice. When she told him that she would explain stuff tomorrow, he finally let her hang up.

As he walked out of the elevator on the loft floor, he could smell something familiar that only got stronger as he headed to the door. When he pulled it open, Derek was standing there, looking the same as he did when he left.

"Hey, Isaac."

* * *

><p>Okay, so... yeah. I really hoped you liked the chapter, even with the <em>major <em>cliffhangers. [Anyone want to guess the backstory of Melissa Argent? Leave some comments!] Again, I apologize for being a week late.

Anyways, reviews and follows are appreciated. Seeya!

P.S. I just started watching Supernatural two days ago and I'm already on season two. My heart is breaking.

P.P.S. Melissa Argent is played by model Alexis Ren :)


	5. Demonic Accidents

The demon didn't know fun until it possessed Stiles Stilinski.

Seriously, the boy had so much going on in his head that not one moment was dull. For the first few weeks, when the boy hadn't even noticed the demon slip into his head, life was all pain and angst. It was almost sad, really. And the more the demon was in his body, the more it realized how much the boy had to fake his happiness. Every time he was with Lydia, or Scott, or even his father, the kid had this façade of a sarcastic little teen. Whenever he was alone, however, it was just silent and dreary while he looked back on every bad experience. His mom dying, his dad going drunk, his friends going through about ten million near death experiences in two years- all of it. He reflected back on _everything_, all the time. Eventually, those memories took over his mind. He slept less, stopped bothering to take care of himself, and found more and more excuses to avoid seeing his friends.

Then came the not-so-safe thoughts.

_If I just end this stupid life now, this could all be over._

_Nobody would care, man. Its not like you're important._

_If I just took a handful of those goddamn Adderall pills-_ and so on. The demon was even considering leaving Stiles, just so it could find someone who wasn't contemplating suicide every five minutes. But then, then, it realized what this kid was worth.

Stiles Stilinski was a bargaining piece, it figured. He was smack-dab in the middle of a supernatural storm. He was part of a werewolf pack, which consisted of both a Banshee _and_ True Alpha. He had an emissary helping him, the man disguised as a vet. Most of all, Stiles Stilinski gave himself to the Nematon. He died, he stayed dead, and he opened a door in his mind that was a gateway to unimaginable darkness.

All the demon needed was a spark to set this kid off- then there would be Hell to pay.

* * *

><p>Allison didn't know what to think. She was in her room- or her and <em>Mel's<em> room, now -after a talk with her dad that wasn't anything like she ever imagined.

When she got home, Melissa was already there, talking to her dad. The girl had ridden on her motor bike and beaten her there, apparently. Allison then noticed how her dad was talking to Melissa. He was smiling- a genuine, proud smile -while patting her shoulder like he had raised her himself.

"What's going on?" Allison questioned.

"Oh! Allison, this is Mel-" Mr. Argent gave Melissa another smile, which she returned. "She's your adopted cousin."

"Yeah, I know. She told me, after she _spied_ on Lydia and I." At her slightly bitter tone, both Argent and Melissa looked at her. Allison shifted on her feet, crossing her arms. "I _mean_ I want to know what she's doing here."

Argent, finally noticing his daughter's frown, gave a little grunt. "Well I didn't tell you, but Mel called me a few weeks ago with information about demonic omens starting up in Beacon Hills. Her mom, Kate's sister, died a month ago and I asked if she wanted to stay with us."

Allison briefly felt a pang of guilt. This girl, Mel, who looked about the same age as her, had lost her mom. She saw Melissa's smile waver when she turned to her. "I'm sorry for you loss."

Mel shook her head, smiling politely again. "No need. Mom went out strong. She was protecting me." She shifted the bag on her shoulder awkwardly. "And, uh, I'm sorry for spying on you and your friend. I was just watching to see how the demon reacted to you guys."

"You were watching the demon?" Allison's demeanor shifted, going from friend to hunter in seconds.

"I've been _hunting_ the demon, actually." Mel walked to the living rom table, taking out a map from her bag and laying it down. It was covered with markings and little post-it notes. Some had _demonic_ _deaths_ written in red cursive handwriting, others had _demonic_ _omens _written in blue. From what Allison could tell, though, was that all markings were in a messy trail, ending at a little town circled in silver sharpie. _Beacon_ _Hills_, it said.

Mel looked at both of the Argents as they evaluated the map. "I started tracking the demon in Washington State a while back, but it always moves as soon as I get a swipe at it. Leaves a trail of dead bodies behind, as well. It's stayed in Beacon Hills the longest, so I've finally been able to lock on it."

"Why is it staying here?" Allison questioned.

Mel gave her a look that matched Lydia's _are_ _you_ _kidding_ _me_ stare. "When you guys sacrificed yourselves, it made Beacon Hills a tourist attraction for anything Supernatural, as you know. This demon started heading here nearly a _day_ after you killed the Darach. It only stayed so it could possess your friend."

Mr. Argent looked doubtful. "Why would it want to possess Stiles?"

Mel shrugged, folding up the map. "He sacrificed himself to the Nematon, which would also make _him_ a beacon to the supernatural. The fact that he's human makes it even more likely." She stood up, putting the map back in her bag. "I suspect he was having a hard time after everything, right?"

When she turned to Allison, the hunter shrugged. "I don't know, maybe." She felt bad, not knowing whether Stiles was okay or not. _You should've payed more attention to him, s_he thought.

"Well, if he was, that would've made him the prime target. Demons like to deal with the weak, broken down humans." She spoke with confidence, signaling to Allison that she knew what she was talking about. "That's why it didn't try to possess any werewolves or hunters, like you and Scott."

"How do you know all of this?" Allison looked into her cousin's eyes, questioning.

Mel shrugged. "I do my research. Your father told me most, though." She matched Allison's stare with her own, not threatening and not backing down.

Mr. Argent interrupted them. "How do we get this demon out of him, then?" Allison noticed that he, too, was getting more and more serious.

"I'm positive that I can get rid of it with an exorcism, but you'll have to trap him first." Mel replied.

Argent nodded confidently. "Done."

"Another thing, though," Mel pursed her lips, crossing her arms in thought. "With a demon this powerful, I think he'll be able to sense you coming. Trapping him will take a _lot_ more than arrows and guns. You'll need the werewolves for this one." Both of the other Argents noticed, when she said werewolves, her voice changed, almost like it was uncomfortable to say the word.

Allison perked up, alarmed. "If we tell them, the demon might kill Scott's mom."

Mel looked at her. "That's why you're not going to tell them now. Wait until Stiles get's out of the hospital, and make sure he's away from Melissa when you tell. Hopefully, you'll trap him before chaos ensues." As she finished, she picked up her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find a hotel."

When Mr. Argent raised his eyebrows, Allison knew what was coming. "Actually, Mel, you're staying with us. In Allison's room." He ordered.

And so the night went on.

* * *

><p><em>One week later<em>

The minute Stiles was released from the hospital, Beacon Hills blew crazy with chaos. After two hours of him hanging out with his father, there were news stories of four car crashes, two house fires, and _seven_ suicides. No survivors, of course.

Only after _two_ _hours_.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Mel announced, frustrated. Her and Allison were in Allison's car, listening to the news on the radio. "I mean suicides and fires are somewhat possible, but a demon can't cause _car_ _accidents_."

"Maybe it's a coincidence." Allison suggested, stopping at the light. They were going to pick Lydia and Isaac up from the redhead's house, and then they were going to Scott's. Luckily, he wasn't going to be with Stiles today and his mom was off work. The girls figured today would be perfect to tell them about the demon.

Mel snorted. "Trust me, this it no coincidence. This is a homicidal demon making himself known." She fiddles with her pocket knife, which Allison noticed she carried around wherever she went. "I just don't see how he managed to pull it off."

"Well, maybe someone's working for him? The reports say those cars were tampered with before the accidents."

Mel sighed, massaging her forehead. "Yeah, maybe." She looked out the window as they pulled up in front of Lydia's, the girl and Isaac immediately getting in the car.

"Okay, are you guys finally gonna tell me what's going on?" Isaac asked, sticking his head in between the two front seats to look at Allison. "-and why you freaked when I asked if Derek should know?"

Allison rolled her eyes. "I freaked because I didn't know if Derek was still alive, let alone back in town. I just don't think we should trust him yet, that's all." She pulled out of her standstill, heading towards Scott's. "And we'll tell you and Scott together, okay?"

"You two _do_ know that Scott's most likely not going to listen to us, right?" Lydia pursed her lips, tapping her finger on the door handle. "Stiles is his best friend, and he's the only one who's been visiting him in the hospital everyday."

Allison sighed. "We'll just have to hope that he can get some sense into his brain before we trap Stiles."

Of curse, Isaac was hopelessly confused. "Wait, _what?_"

* * *

><p>As soon as they pulled up in Scott's drive way, they saw the Alpha running towards them, panting. He abruptly stopped at Allison's window as she rolled it down, practically slamming into the side of the car. "Okay, we need to go <em>now.<em>" He demanded.

"What are you-" Allison blinked, unlocking the door so Scott could squeeze into the back, then turned to look at him. "Where? Why?"

"Stiles's house is on _fire_, Allison, just go!"

* * *

><p>Yes, I know this is late.<p>

Yes, I know this is short.

I'm truly sorry, but even more stuff has been going on than usual. Can't control it.

Luckily, my whole next week is free, and I'm hoping to catch up on some writing.

Anyways, reviews and comments are appreciated! Goodbye :3


	6. Words Hurt More Than Guns

Hello! It's me!

You probably figured that out, so um... Let's get to the chapter!(?)

* * *

><p>Allison pulled up in front of the Stilinski house hastily, ignoring the stares Scott was aiming at her back. She and Mel had been trying to explain the demon-thing to him for the entire drive and he seemed to be caving, but she could feel his doubt. She couldn't help but feel threatened as he stared her down.<p>

_Don't take this personally, Allison,_ she told herself. _He's just in denial. Stiles is his best friend._

She parked a few houses down from the smoking structure, where firefighters and policemen and people were crowding. The house didn't look that damaged, only charred and surrounded by ash. As the five teenagers exited the car and started walking, Mel gave Allison a look and pointed towards one of the police cars. She raised her head, blinking, and turned her eyes to the boy talking to a short, stocky policemen.

To be perfectly honest, neither Lydia nor Allison had expected Stiles to look different from when they, uh, _visited_ him, and were stunned at the appearance of the boy now. Stiles looked _amazing_, to say the least. His body held a healthy glow, highlighting his little moles and light brown eyes. His hair was done perfectly with gel, gleaming under the sun. Topping that, he didn't have the same anxious, scrawny structure that both of them were so used to. His shoulders were broader, legs a bit longer, and arms graced with muscle that became evident when he crossed his arms. This show of health in his body might've been like a blessing to the girls, but since they knew the truth- that it wasn't really _Stiles_ in there -his appearance only terrified them.

Scott, who noticed the change in Stiles as soon as he looked at him, shook his head. Cured or not, Scott had seen his friend get worse and worse with the tumor inside him. He couldn't just _heal_-not unless what Allison and her cousin were saying was true. He had a sudden epiphany, right then and there. Allison's theory _did_ make sense, he realized. Stiles what having mood swings, memory loss, and he put his head down when he was angry. According to the Argent girls, these were all demonic signs.

This only made him walk towards Stiles faster.

He stopped when Lydia ran up and grabbed his arm, keeping him a safe distance away from the cop and Stiles, who still hadn't noticed them. "We can't just _charge_ him, Scott. There are cops everywhere. We have to get him to come with us or something."

"How?" Scott looked over again, seeing that Stiles was finished with the cop and heading to his Jeep.

Mel walked passed them, shaking her head. "He is _so_ not getting away," she murmured. "Not again."

Making sure she was hidden from the cops, Mel stealthily moved behind and around the Jeep, stopping at the door behind the driver's seat. She got in and ducked as Stiles passed her window, letting out a sigh of relief that he didn't see her. As soon as he was behind the wheel, Mel pushed her hand into his head _hard_ and slammed his face into the dashboard.

Allison, Scott, Lydia, and Isaac all stood gaping as Mel dragged the boy's unconscious body out of the jeep. She looked over at their still forms and let out an irritated sigh.

"Can the two werewolf idiots _please_ help me carry this demonic son-of-a-bitch!?"

* * *

><p>The demon didn't like being tied down.<p>

It was three o'clock when he woke up, right after all the teens had lunch and Scott called the Sherriff to tell him that Stiles was okay. Lydia was talking with Allison in the kitchen, Mel was studying her Latin exorcism, and Isaac was playing with his claws in the chair next to the unconscious psychopath. Derek had also joined them, and was quietly reading a demonology book in the corner. When Stiles suddenly lurched up, Isaac had nearly fallen off his chair.

As the demon struggled, eyes black as darkness, everyone gathered into the room to stand in front of him. When it looked up, it smiled. "_This_ is your genius plan? Tying me to a cheap chair?" Once again, his voice was low and menacing, like a growl.

"Tying you to a chair, surrounding you with salt, and placing said chair on a devil's trap is more like it." Mel snapped, motioning to the painted circle on the floor. She smirked back at the demon and crossed her arms.

Stiles raised his eyebrows and tilted his head to the side. "Bringing out the big girl guns, are we?" In a second, the ropes around his legs, chest, and wrists were all snapped. He stood up confidently and slowly, never breaking eye contact with Melissa.

Lydia flinched at the sound, grasping Allison's arm in panic. "I thought he couldn't _do_ that." She whispered.

"He can't move anything outside the circle, okay Lyd? As soon as he steps out, he drops. We're fine." Allison took a tiny step forward, making eye contact with Scott across the room. She saw the same concern that she was feeling, knowing that either she or Scott would have to step in if something went wrong. But neither of them wanted to hurt Stiles, _especially_ Scott.

Mel started walking around the circle, twirling a knife dipped in holy water between her fingers. As she circled, the demon matched her with every step, maintaining eye contact. Mel didn't back down. As the room's tension got thicker and thicker, Lydia felt herself tensing. Finally, she couldn't take it. "_Why_ are you in Stiles?" She blurted, bringing all eyes to her.

The demon's eyes flashed black as he looked at Lydia and smirked. "I told you, sweetheart. Stiles was practically dying, with a weak little mind and the flimsy body of his. Hell, if I hadn't possessed him, the kid would've killed _himself_."

"And why would he do that? Stiles was _happy_!" She practically screamed. "He was as happy as he's _always_ _been_ when you fucked with him." Lydia was protesting so much that the group was convinced she would stomp her foot. The redhead's voice was strong and defiant, while her head was held high.

The demon glared at her menacingly, with an expression so filled with hate on Stiles's face that Lydia stumbled back. Scott and Allison took protective stances beside her, while Derek, Isaac, and Mel moved closer to the circle. The demon held eye contact with Lydia and started speaking in a cold voice. "And how happy was that, Lydia? How happy could Stiles have been with memories of a mother lost, a neglecting alpha for a friend-" At this, the demon clearly glared at Scott, who's jaw clenched. "-and a certain redheaded girl that ignored is love for _seven_ _years_?" The demon's voice suddenly gained momentum, going from menacing to plain forceful. "Should I just remind you all how much you have _screwed_ with this guy? Derek, with your verbal and physical abuse. Allison, the crazy bitch who let her grandfather _beat_ him until his cheek bled. Do you know he still has _nightmares_ about that?" At that, both Lydia and Scott looked at a regretful Allison with shock. Stiles hadn't told anyone about that night, and Allison never apologized. She knew she should have, but she never really got the chance.

The demon was still going, though, despite the major curtain he just pulled back. "And, even after all this _bullshit_, Stiles still does _everything_ for you. He's saved you, all of you, more times than you know. Did he even _mention_ the time he preformed CPR on a dying Cora, Derek?" Derek head shot up at Cora's name, staring at the demon to see if he was lying. He wasn't.

The demon glared at them all again, eyes going darker and darker. "Just remember, you've screwed with Stiles way more than I ever could. _You're_ the reason he was so venerable to possession. You can't blame me for your _juvenile_ _problems_!" With this final cry, the earth started to shake, knocking the whole group of their feet. Furniture toppled, glass shattered, and the ground only became more and more unsteady. After what felt like minutes of this, the shaking abruptly stopped.

Mel, as the first to recover from the shock, what the first to realize the demon's absence. She heaved out a sigh as she took notice of the cracked devil's trap that obviously allowed his escape.

"Well, shit."

* * *

><p>Okay, this was a filler chapter. I openly admit that.<p>

This story does have a big storyline, and I'm trying to find the best way to manage it. Unfortunately, I'm always busy. I figured, instead of going on hiatus, I'll do what I can when I can. So please be patient with me, more chapters are coming. I'd also like to thank all of those who are following and commenting. It's really sweet and heartwarming to know people care about this story. So yeah, thanks.

Seeya soon!

-Jen


	7. Author's Note

Okay.

This is not a chapter, I'm genuinely sorry for not posting this long, and I really, _really_ wish I had a legit reason for putting off this story for a couple of weeks. I would say the same thing I used last time: That everything has gotten in the way and I'm always busy. But, to be honest, I don't feel that's the case anymore.

I have the plot completely laid out for this story, one I think you readers will be pleased with. I guess I'm just going through that phase where a writer plans for a story and just cannot get it into words. I've tried to write chapter for the story, but they were rushed and shabby. I guess all I needed was a break.

To get to the point, I took a small hiatus, and it's over now. I have more time for writing, more ideas, and more stories altogether. So, as an apology, I would like to give you guys a pilot of sorts for a story I've been thinking up, _Triplets_. Here goes.

_It is two years since Season 1 of Teen Wolf. Senior Year. Jackson is in London, while Erica and Boyd are still dead. The McCall Pack consists of Scott, Isaac, Derek, Aiden, Ethan, Allison, Lydia, Kira, Peter (on occasion), Mother McCall, Papa Stilinski, and the infamous triplets._

_Yes, I said triplets. The Stilinski Triplets, to be exact. Stiles, Stuart, and the girl, Selina-all children of the late Claudia Stilinski. Join the ride and read on as they deal with heartbreak, college applications, and the supernatural wonders of Beacon Hills._

* * *

><p>"Stuart, c'mon. <em>Please<em>? I'm begging, big brother. I need this-for the love of god, I would _die_ for this." Stiles was going full begging mode as he followed Scott and Stuart into the McCall house. He was wearing blue plaid- as usual -and some jeans. Stuart, his identical twin, looked only the slightest bit cooler with his glasses and cardigan. Scott was looking all alpha-like in his fitting black shirt. "C'mon, man. Stuart, buddy! My big bro for life!"

Stuart rolled his eyes, pulling on his beanie in annoyance. "I'm not getting you a job at the diner, Sti-"

"But _why_ _not? _We could spend more time together! Ya' know, brotherly bonding time." Stiles put his hands on his brother's shoulders from behind, shaking him. "Dude, c'mon. I need this job!"

"No, you need _a_ job, dumbass. There's a difference. Dad didn't tell you to steal mine." Stuart turned around and dropped his backpack on the couch, then turned to face Stiles. Scott sat on the chair next to the TV and slumped in it, turning his head to look at the amusing Stilinski brother conversation. Recently, Sherriff Stilinski had told the triples that they needed to get jobs, or work more around the house to earn money. Selina had gotten a job with him at Deaton's, while Stuart got a part-time gig at the diner a block from the school. Stiles was the only one that was too busy with 'studies' to go out.

* * *

><p>Okay, guys! That was a little promo and I hope it makes you interested for more. I'll definitely be porsting more for this story soon, but it's up to you guys whether or not I should publish the new one.<p>

Seeya!


	8. 20 Questions

"How could he just escape!? This doesn't make any sense. Melissa, you said he wouldn't be able to do anything while he was in that stupid demon circle, so tell me- What _the_ _hell_ happened in there!?"

"It could've bee-"

"We could've all ben killed, Melissa! You know, _dead_!"

Scott sighed, dropping his head in his hands and rubbing his face. "Lyds, please stop yelling. None of us now what happened, okay?"

"Well, nothing would have happened if-"

Melissa rolled her eyes and cut Lydia off. "-If you hadn't said the demon trap completion spell wrong."

At that, Lydia balked, going crazy again. "Oh, so this is _my_ fault? Listen, sweetie.."

Her angry voice faded off as Scott thought of what happened just under an hour ago. After Demon Stiles's escape, Lydia had gone crazy with panic. So far, nobody could calm her down, though Allison came close. Derek and Isaac both left after realizing that staying here was nothing close to soothing. Melissa got irritated with Lydia and, after awhile, started to rile her up. Scott didn't bother to try and calm her, since he knew exactly what kind of panic she was feeling. His best friend, who was trapped in his body by a majorly pissed-off demon, had no control and was alone. The little lecture on how bad Stiles's feelings had gotten before this all happened didn't help. For all Scott knew, his friend was lost alone inside his own head, thinking that his friends didn't appreciate him. _We gotta find a way to talk to him, _Scott decided. _He won't fight this demon if he thinks he's useless. _His train of thought was interrupted as Allison walked over to him, smiling tiredly. He missed that smile.

"Hey, are you okay?" Allison asked, sitting on the counter that he was leaning on. "You haven't said anything since the demon left."

Scott huffed, dropping his head for a second and bringing it back up. "I'm just tired, I guess. Lydia and Melissa aren't really helping." He turned his head to look at the hunter and the banshee, who were still bickering angrily. He shook his head and turned back to Allison, regarding her with soft eyes. "Are _you_ okay?"

Allison sighed and shrugged. "I'm good. Fine." When Scott gave her his understanding pity look, she began to get defensive. "I'm fine, Scott, promise. Just worried about Stiles."

Scott looked at her a few seconds more before pushing himself onto the counter next to her. "You know, Allison, I may not be your boyfriend anymore-" He hesitated, then pushed himself to go on. "-but you should talk to me. And I think you should start by explaining to me what the demon said."

Allison blinked, not expecting the sudden subject change. "What do you mean?"

"The whole, um-" Scott cleared his throat "-the thing with Gerard. What was he talking about?"

At this, Allison suddenly got flustered. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and chewed on her lip. "Look, Scott... I don't even know how to explain that night, okay? I was just too riled up from loosing my mom." As she tried to explain without completely revealing what she did, Lydia came over with a suspicious look. She wasn't to happy about the possibility of her best girl friend going bad on Stiles.

Lydia decided to butt in, not interested in hearing excuses. "What did you do, Allison?"

The huntress looked at both Scott and Lydia briefly before looking back at her hands. "I-I basically did what the demon said. It was the night that Stiles won the game. After, he tried to find Erica and Boyd... I don't know how, but he must've figured out that Gerard had them in our basement. He was doing that shock thing on them, and-"

"Wait, Gerard used shock tortue on Erica and Boyd!?" Scott interupted her. When Allison looked up at him to nod, she was almost heartbroken at the disappointment on his face.

"Scott, look, I'm sorry. I am _so_ sorry." Allison sighed, trying again to tell the story. "When Stiles showed up, Gerard offered to take care of it. I didn't know exactly what he was going to do, but when I found out... I didn't even object, Scott. I just told him to get on with the plan." She seemed quite ashamed of this, refusing to look her friends in the eyes. "I never got to apologize to him, I never- _I couldn't_ -ever tell him how sorry I am."

"Stiles told me that the other team roughed him up for scoring..." Lydia whispered to herself. "I knew something was up." Allison looked at her, realizing the banshee was tearing up._ I guess_, she thought_, the stress is finally getting to her. Lydia isn't really one to show her feelings._

"After that, we just never talked about it." Allison sighed putting her face in her hands. "Oh, god. I can't believe I did that to him."

Scott stared at her for a second, then light put a hand on her back. "It's okay, Allison. Knowing Stiles, he probably understood what you were going through." He sighed, looking at Lydia then Melissa, who was worriedly glancing at her cousin. "Look guys, we'll get through this. _Stiles_ will get through this."

Melissa finally spoke up, grabbing her backpack off the floor and heading towards the door. "I hope your right, wolfie."

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later<em>

When Stiles woke up, he was in the woods. His shirt was bloody and ripped, showing his toned stomach underneath. With his pants matching the style of his shirt, he pretty much looked like a murder victim. The scariest thing, though, was probably the startling silence in his head. He didn't hear the demon's creepy voice, or feel the familiar darkness in his head. It was just- _silent_.

"Crap, Sti, what have you done now?" He grumbled. The teen winced as he stood, the stretching of his sore muscles felt immediately. He fished through his pockets and brought out his phone, cursing when he saw a blood soaked, cracked screen. "Aw, come on- _Seriously_?" He sighed, stuffing his busted phone back in his pocket and looking around. Judging by the bright, fresh light bursting through the trees, Stiles guessed it was early morning. He looked down at the patch of blood soaked grass that he was collapsed in a second ago. "Wow, that doesn't look good." He muttered. Sighing, he started heading towards what he hoped was Beacon Hills, ignoring the throbbing in his ankle.

* * *

><p>Sherriff Stilinski was more worried than Scott had ever seen him. He had called a full APB on Stiles, and so far, the younger Stilinski's disappearance was the main priority for the town. Missing person posters were posted almost everywhere, police were doing night searches from the woods to the highway leading out of town, and all kids under eighteen were under town curfew to ensure no one else disappeared. Even Scott's dad had gotten involved with the case, though he avoided any interviews with Scott when the boy was brought in for questioning.<p>

Scott's pack was preparing in a different way, though. Melissa was working with Deaton everyday to try and track down Stiles, occasionally letting Lydia help. Derek working with Isaac by doing constant sweeps around places Stiles would go and trying to catching a scent. Ethan and Aiden had volunteered to help, but Scott knew they would unintentionally break the focus of Derek and Isaac. They pretty much stayed in the background, keeping tier ears peeled for anything odd in Beacon Hills. They were all working their butts off, so Scott started to feel bad after the first week. He could see how Stiles's absence was wearing on everyone, even the twins and Melissa. His friend just had this quirk about him, Scott guessed. Stiles was the perfect guy for anything along the lines of support, whether it was a subtle pat on the shoulder or a full on heart to heart. In a lot of ways, Stiles's constant humor and easy-going attitude was holding everyone up. It was gone now, and everyone was feeling it. Scott had been watching as Allison worked until she was exhausted, Lydia pushed herself to get both perfect grades and help her friends. Even he was feeling like the more Stiles was gone, the less chance they had to find him. Things were looking hopeless.

Until, of course, Stiles showed up on his doorstep.

He was just done eating a bowl of cereal and studying Lydia's notes. She lent them to him with the intent of helping him with his history test, even though she knew his mind would be occupied with Stiles. His mother was still at the hospital, helping on an emergency surgery that came in at four o'clock in the morning and was so bad that she wasn't back yet. Scott pulled is backpack over his shoulder and made his way to the door, sighing. He opened it and stopped short at the sight of Stiles, panting and bloody, looking nervous and clenching his phone in his hand.

"Hey, buddy." Stiles chirped awkwardly, clearing his throat quickly. He flashed a small smirk, innocently looking on as his friend blinked in shock. "H-How's it hanging?"

Scott swallowed, looing at his friend hopefully but still wary as he tried to get over his shock. "Stiles?" He paused, setting is backpack down behind him. "Is that really _you_, or..?"

Stiles sighed, hanging his head a little as his hands started to tremble. He wasn't nervous, because he knew Scott wouldn't hurt him. He was _terrified_ because, once again, he had absolutely no idea what was going on. "Honestly, Scott. I have no idea. I mean, I think so. Can't be sure, exactly." He shrugged lightly, shaking his head.

Scott blinked again, slightly sniffing as he looked over his best friend. "Dude, what happened to you? That's your blood, for sure, but it _reeks_."

Stiles shook his head again, looking around. He was extremely uneasy, as that hour walk trough the woods had given him time to freak out over what could have possibly happened in the time he was blacked out. "Scott, man, I'm telling you. I don't know. I don't remember anything since the day after I collapsed, when you visited me. I know time has passed since then, I can practically feel it, but whenever I try to figure out what I've been doing its complete blackout."

Scott's eye widened when Stiles revealed that. He knew the demon could easily be posed as Stiles right now, making all of this up, but he highly doubted it. Stiles still looked as handsome and healthy as the last time he saw him, but he wasn't holding himself the same. Stiles looked uncomfortable with the extra inches and muscles he now had, and he slightly kept his head lowered as if he was hiding. His hands, in a complete Stiles fashion, were playing with his phone with jittery movements, like he couldn't keep still. All of this was enough evidence for Scott. He sighed through his nose, thinking about how concerned his mom would be once she got the absence call from the high school. He stepped back a bit, opening the door for his distressed looking friend. "Come on, man."

* * *

><p>Lydia sat quietly in her class, tapping her pen on her notebook as she waited for her teacher to finish talking about something she already knew. The back of her mind was paying attention, easily soaking up the information as she focused on thinking about the uneasy feeling that has been with her all day. Her first worry was the fat that Scott wasn't I class first period, but she knew this feeling was about more than that. Her banshee-feelings were tingling, as Stiles would say. When she looked around, convinced that whatever was bothering her was in this room, her eyes stopped on a innocent looking Asian-American girl sitting two seats to her left. Lydia saw that the girl taking notes was too invested in the lecture to take notice of her staring, so she gazed at her questioningly.<p>

_Who are you? _She thought, furrowing her eyebrows as she looked at the girl. Lydia was sure that the person sitting in that seat everyday before was a small, nerdy kid named Gregory. No one had mentioned a new student in school today, but Lydia was known for knowing at least one fact about every student in school, and she didn't even know this girl's name. As she sighed, pondering, the girl in question looked up and immediately mentioned the banshee's eyes.

Lydia cursed herself inwardly as the girl looked questioningly back at her and gave a small smile. Then, she just went back to her notes, writing with what Lydia noticed was the same pen she was using. The redhead reluctantly turned to looked at the teacher, tapping her fingers on the notebook and squinting in thought.

_Who is this girl?_

When the bell rang, Lydia made a beeline to the girl in question, tapping her shoulder as she was packing her backpack. When the smaller girl looked up, she let out a nervous little smile. "Um, hi. Lydia, right?" She seemed innocent enough, with her wide brown eyes and soft grin.

"Yeah, Lydia Martin." The redhead snipped. She put a hand on her hip and cocked her head confidently. "I was just wondering who you are. I haven't seen you in this class before, and I make it a habit to know about everyone." Lydia didn't mean to sound bitchy, but sometimes her demeanor suggested it. This was probably one of those times.

The new girl looked a bit startled at the girls attitude, blinking once and letting her smile falter a bit as she pulled on her backpack. "Um, I'm Kira, Kira Yukimura. I'm new." She held out a shaky hand to Lydia, who shook it confidently. "Nice to meet you."

Lydia had once more sweep at this girl, Kira, taking notice of her denim jacket, jean short, and Beacon Hills High t-shirt. She then smirk, beginning to walk past the girl. "Nice to meet you, Kira."

* * *

><p>Okay, guys, first things first. I'm sorry for not updating until now, but I guess I'm just one of those slow writers. Hope you'll forgive me :)<p>

Anyway, what do you think? What happened to Stiles? And _what _is this girl doing in Beacon Hills? I have a feeling most of you can guess the second one, haha.

Leave some reviews! Bye :)


	9. New Girls

Hey guys!

* * *

><p>Kira Yukimura walked quietly through the busy hall of Beacon Hills, cursing herself for what had been unfolding. Her mother gave her strict orders not to talk to any of them! Then what happens? The <em>banshee<em> ends up being the one to point her out. To be honest, she thought the one of the werewolves would sniff her out before she got through first period.

"Hey, cutie!" Her head shot up and turned to where the loud, obnoxious whoop came. She was, of course, greeted by none other than a group of jockey teenage boys. She gave shy smile before walking off in what seemed like an introverted stance. Really, she just didn't want anyone to notice or touch her on her way to another class.

_Why are they making me go here? It's not my job to go to high school, _She thought tiredly. When she moved into Beacon Hills with her parents a week ago, they insisted that she go to school to get to know the pack of which she was assigned. How Kira would get to know them, she had no clue. Her mother had forbid her from contacting them, the humans included. She had followed that rule until the banshee decided to ambush her a few minutes ago.

"Well, I already broke that rule, what's say a few more?" She mumbled to herself reluctantly. Instead of going down the hall to her right and heading towards her next class, she headed through the left, going into what was labelled as the counselor's office. There was an obvious 'Out For Lunch' sign on the door, but none of the few students still in the halls paid her mind.

Kira poked her head through, leaking a tiny sigh of relief when she was met with an empty room. She slithered in and locked door behind her, dropping her bag down in front of it. she quickly went over to the desk drawer, running her hands through all of the vertically placed files. She pulled out the two she was looking for and sat them on the desk. Quietly, she sat in the office chair, opening the file with the banshee's name on it. She pushed aside the basic files on her IQ levels and other things, going quickly to the reports on her mental history and analysis. She was already confused, as the first few pages of her mental analysis were nothing but repeated sketches of trees on notebook paper.

_Lydia Martin is a smart, confident leader by heart and she shows a fondness for being in control of her surroundings. However, her recent outbursts and unfocused behavior reported from the staff is alarming. When brought in for counseling, she was evasive and unwilling to directly answer questions about her personal life. When asked about, Miss Martin has been referred to by other students as unusually secretive, unsocial, and crazy. She has shown subtle signs of both schizophrenia and paranoia. We suspect she may be developing anxiety and introverted behavior. _

"Wow." Kira muttered lowly, eyes widening in wonder. Her head shot up and the sound of keys jangling on the other side of the door, slowing taking a breath as they passed. She gathered the papers together as they were and quietly put them back in the drawer, figuring it would be safer to sneak in when it gets dark to read the file without interruption. Leaving no trace that she was there, Kira slithered out of the room and walked into her class with a frown on her face and fake late pass in hand.

* * *

><p>Scott didn't know what to do.<p>

He had rushed Stiles to Deaton and sent quick texts to the others, Stiles's father included. The sheriff was worried, but relieved he could finally cancel all of the searches and legal stuff. He had promised to meet Stiles at their house in an hour, after he settled things at the station.

After the high-strung call with the guys, he went back inside to where Stiles was sitting on one of the metal tables. He leaned against it, noticing how his friend was tapping in his knees in a blatant show of ADHD. He was high strung and a bit jittery, to say the least. The alpha shifted his eyes to the vet, who looked puzzled at Stiles's view of the last few weeks. "What do you think happened?"

The vet shook his head in disbelief at Scott. "Well, I think it's obvious that the demon took over, but the fact that Stiles can't remember anything is alarming. The hosts usually remember most, if not all, of their time being possessed. My guess is something is blocking his memory. Maybe the demon did something that he doesn't want Stiles to tell us?" He turned his back to them , pulling out an old book from one of his cabinets and wiping the dust off. "As far as I know, this is a book on Demons, but the information is all written in heavy Archaic Latin. I can't read it."

"Lydia reads Archaic Latin." Stiles interjected, looking down at his hands. He seemed distracted with his furrowed eyebrows and active fingers. "She got bored with regular Latin in, like, tenth grade."

Scott wanted to say something to his friend, but he was waiting until they were alone. He wanted to know if he felt better, not sic with a brain tumor or possessed by an evil demon thing. He definitely didn't smell sick, but Scott wouldn't rest until he made sure.

Deaton looked at Stiles for a second before nodding lightly. "Okay. Well, I have an appointment in a few minutes, but Scott, you should take Stiles back home. Try to get back to normal, maybe have your mom look over him for any head injuries. Stiles," He looked at the teen, handing him the old book and patting his shoulder. "-rest, and tell Lydia to translate whatever she can. We'll get you through this."

"I hope you're telling the truth there, Deaton." Melissa interrupted the men, walking in confidently. She didn't even blink as she tossed some holy water from a canteen onto Stiles, effectively soaking his neck and torso. Mel tilted her head when the water didn't burn him. "Well, well. You're clean." She ignored the boy's surprised faces and looked Stiles over. "Interesting though, you still look buff and healthy. That's weird."

Stiles spit some out of his mouth, rolling his eyes. "Nice to see you too, sweet cheeks. My day has been fine, thanks." He rattled sarcastically. He turned to Scott, raising his eyebrows. "I like your new friend, Scott. She's a real catch."

Scott shook his head, turning back to Mel. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes." She deadpanned. "But there's something else we need to take care of, now that Stiles isn't possessed." Not giving Scott time to reply, she handed him a small polaroid taken from inside the school. It looked like it was taken through window blinds, and it focused on the back of a girl with black, straight hair. The stuff she was reading was covered by her torso, but Scott recognized the room as the counselor's office, which meant the files were probably on a student. Scott looked back up at Mel, eyebrows furrowed. "Who's this?"

Mel crossed her arms. "Kira, I think her name was. New student as of today. This girl has spying on your pack since a week ago. She's pretty damn good, too." She tapped the picture again. "She went through Stiles's and Lydia's files this morning, before I got here. Thought you'd want to know."

Scott sighed, looking at all of them and back to Mel. "What do we do?"

The hunter ran a hand through her hair and shrugged. "Spy on her, get to know her, confront her, kill her- I don't know. Take care of it, Scott." She started to head out, revealing the two pistols tucked into the back of her shorts. "I'll find that demon and take him down, but I might need your help, Stilinski."

Stiles sighed again, shaking his head. "I don't remember anythi-"

"You don't need to." The girl interrupted coldly. She stopped walking at the door, turning her head the slightest bit to look at the boys. "I can help with that, too. Meanwhile, listen to the vet and crash. You'll need some rest." She walked out swiftly, and Scott realized he stopped hearing her heartbeat as soon as she left the room.

"You have to admit, the girl's got some skill." Deaton nodded appreciatively.

Stiles snorted. "If skills include being stoic twenty-four seven and keeping a stick up her tight a-"

"**I can hear you,** **Stilinski!**" They heard her yell from outside.

* * *

><p>Mel shook her head at the boy's antics, getting in her rented black pickup truck and putting her two cherished pistols in the passenger seat. She pulled down the mirror, looking herself over. She brushed a hand through her dark brown hair, dyed from her natural blonde hair. Her green eyes were as piercing as always, and a little red from her recent lack of sleep. Lately, she's been getting two or three hours a night, at most.<p>

_I don't know how I've been so alert, lately. I should _really_ get more sleep._

A frown was pretty much solidified on her face, Mel noticed. Gone was the bubbly, smiling girl she was a year ago. That girl had a mother, a father, _sisters_-

_Don't think about Elle, or Brandy, any of them. You left that behind a long time ago, _She thought bitterly. But Mel couldn't get any of them out of her head. She couldn't stop thinking about them, dreaming about them, wondering what would've been if nothing ever happened.

Mel's left hand immediately went to the necklace around her neck that ducked into the front of her shirt. Five dog tags were on the ball chain, one for every person she left behind- her ex boyfriend, two sisters, and parents, all put in the back of her mind for now. She felt kind of bad for only telling Allison and Mr. Argent about her mother, but she just couldn't get the words out. She'd been wanting to tell Allison for days now, and hopefully would by tomorrow. Mel just wasn't one to pour her heart out, not since her mom passed. She always had to keep in her feelings, never letting them past her mind.

_I guess you're about to break that habit, bucko._

* * *

><p>Scott had gone back to school by lunch time, after dropping Stiles off at his house. By lunch, he was back at the pack's usual table, trying to explain to everyone what had unfolded. Allison and Lydia had been more focused on how Stiles was, while the twins and Isaac were dead set on doing something about the girl that was spying on them all.<p>

Scott didn't know what to do about that, to be honest. He had never been in a situation where he knew the enemy's name, but wasn't sure on whether she was an enemy or not. "Mel said her name was Kira, and that she's been watching us for the past week, but-"

"Wait, Kira? _Kira_ _Yukimura_?" Lydia interrupted forcefully. She seemed to go completely alert at the name, like every hair on her body was standing up.

"I didn't get a name, but as far as I know there isn't another Kira in the school. You know her?" Scott looked at the banshee, worry etched on his face.

Lydia suddenly stood up and started marching towards the left hall, not stopping to wait as the rest of them rushed to follow her. "I met her this morning, before you came to school, Scott. She's new, and I sensed something about her. I knew something was up."

Scott quickly grabbed her arm and stopped the banshee in her stride. "Whoa, Lyds, hold on. She could be dangerous and we don't exactly have the upper hand right now. It's not a good idea to go charging."

Lydia rolled her eyes at the boy and sighed through her nose. "I really doubt she could beat three werewolves, a hunter, and a true alpha all at the same time Scott, and she wouldn't just attack in the middle of school. If we don't do it now, we'll never get to. Let's _go_."

Scott sighed, hesitating for a second and looked past Lydia nervously. He didn't want to do it, not until he locked eyes with a certain Asian-American girl down the other end of the hallway. He blinked in surprise when she started walking towards them, looking just as reluctant as he felt. "Uh, guys?" When everyone turned to him, he motioned to the girl walking towards them. They were all silent until Kira was right in front of them, looking unusually shy for someone who had been spying on them for a week. She locked eyes with Scott again, and it wasn't unnoticed from the Alpha how her heart instantly sped up.

"I assume you all want to speak to me?" The statement came out as a question, shaky and unsure. Kira's eyes shifted down to her feet awkwardly as the rest of them stayed silent.

The silence was broken by none other than Lydia, who was standing tall with arms crossed and attitude on her face. "You're damn right we need to talk, _Kira_."

The girl looked a little startled at her tone, glancing around nervously. "Well, I can explain-"

"You've been spying on us for how long, now? How are you going to justify something like that?" Lydia barked at her, stepping forward and instantly gaining the attention of some other nosy students in the hall.

Scott cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of his pack. "Maybe we should go somewhere more private, guys." He silently led them all into an empty classroom down the hall, even holding the door open for Kira when she was steeping in. The girl looked at him for a second, then blushed as she quickly stepped pass.

As soon as the door shut, Aiden and Ethan pounced on Kira, Holding her arms behind her back with no strength held back. Kira yelped as the sudden weight on her, jerking in their grips out of fright. Both Allison and Lydia instinctively grabbed each others hands at the sudden movement, stepping out of the way. Isaac stood alert, waiting for Scott to do something before the twins started wrestling Kira to the floor.

Scott growled at the boys, flashing his red eyes. "Hey! Hands off, _now_." He didn't know where the sudden protectiveness came from, but he knew this Kira girl shouldn't be hurt by his pack for no reason. For all they knew, she could be here to help them. He didn't want to be the type of Alpha to shoot first, talk later. When neither of the twins moved, he growled again, more forcefully. "I said, **_let_ _go_**."

When both of the boys let go of her, Kira quickly stepped back, wrapping her arms around herself. She hadn't ever met a true alpha before, but now she could see why Scott was chosen as one. He looked strong, both mentally and physically, and his growl was more powerful than any she'd ever heard. She instantly felt small, knowing that this alpha and his pack weren't exactly on her side.

Everyone stayed silent for at least a solid minute, the twins panting slightly in the background while Kira shifted on her feet, leaning away from the both of them. Scott's eyes stayed on her, taking in the introverted behavior and increased heartbeat. _She's scared, _He analyzed quickly. He raised his eyebrows after a second, still tuned in to her heartbeat and smell. _Really scared, and really guilty._

Allison broke the silence, speaking in a firm tone but not nearly as harsh as Lydia. "Why are you spying on us?"

Kira finally looked up at them, her eyes skipping to each person before tightening her arms around her self and pursing her lips. "I told to. It's part of my assignment."

Aiden growled lowly at her vague answer, looking threatening but not nearly as firm as Scott. Ethan spoke over what he was about to say, talking in the same tone as Allison. "You might want to clarify, Kira. Who are you, and more importantly, _what_ are you?"

Lydia and Allison raised their eyebrows at the werewolves, who all looked in puzzlement at Ethan. "What do you mean, what is she?" Isaac asked carefully. Even Scott looked confused at what Ethan was suggesting. This girl wasn't a werewolf, he new that much. What _else_ could she be?

Ethan sighed at them all, looking put out that they didn't know this information. "She doesn't have a scent. It would explain why we can't tell she's a werewolf, but every human smells like something. The only things that can hide their scent like that are wendigos and kitsune. "

At the new information given, everyone looked back at Kira, who shifted on her feet again. "I'm a kitsune, and my name is Kira Yukimura. I, uh, was spying on you because my mother assigned me to watch over your pack and monitor your behavior without actually having contact with you." Her eyes shifted back down to her feet again as everyone continued to stare at her. Scott, starting to feel a little bad about ganging up on her, made a snappy decision.

"Guys, you can go back to class. I'll talk to Kira." Scott ignored his pack's staring, raising his eyebrows at them and sighing. "I'll be fine, just go." As, they walked out, Scott tried to ignore Allison's concern stare.

He waited until they were all out to uncross his arms and look at Kira with an awkward smile, making the girl slightly blush. "Look, uh, you don't have to be scared of us. We won't bite, promise." He walked a few steps to the wall next to the door, leaning on it.

Kira let out a tiny laugh at his joke, seeming more relaxed without the hostile stares all on her. She met Scott's eyes for another second before shyly smiling. "Thanks."

Scott's eyebrows furrowed, a small grin on his face from hearing her laugh. He looked confusedly at her. "For what?"

Kira shrugged simply, reluctantly walking to stand and lean on the wall next to him. "You didn't kill me, or let the twins hurt me. A lot of alpha's probably wouldn't have been that generous, from what I've heard about them." She slid down the wall, slightly crossing her legs when she was fully sitting against the wall. She sighed as Scott slid down to sit next to her. "I'm sorry for spying on you guys, really. I've just never ignored an assignment from my mother."

Scott looked at Kira, who just looked forward with a small frown on her face. "What does that mean, an assignment?"

Kira seemed to stiffen at the question, clearing her throat and looking down at her hands. "It's a task my mother gives me in steps. They usually involve meeting other kitsune and training with them, or monitoring a pack to see how they behave. I've never seen a pack with a true alpha before, though, or a banshee."

Scott's eyebrows raised slightly. "How do you know I'm a true alpha?" Even though she was a spy, he wasn't exactly flaunting his status all around Beacon Hills. Honestly, he wasn't keen on using his extra hearing and other powers unless necessary. He was just as normal as any other alpha when he didn't use them.

Kira blushed again, raising her head t look at Scott. She shrugged. "I didn't really have to spy to know that. Any one with knowledge on true alphas could identify you as one." When Scott still looked puzzled, she chuckled and motioned to his torso. "The way you stand and sit is a big clue. You know, with your shoulders back and head up? Always ready for something to pounce, it seems." She moved so her body was facing his , her head leaning to the side against the wall. "And, uh, the way you talk to your pack. Any human would just figure you're a leader figure, but it's obvious you have more alpha in you than any basic leader."

Scott was stunned at her for a second, then let out a grin. "You know, for a spy, you're not that bad of a girl. I was expecting you to be more mysterious and tricky."

At the last word, Kira raised an eyebrow and smirked jokingly. "I'm a kitsune, Scott- a trickster. I'm plenty tricky."

Both teens let out a tiny laugh at Kira's faux-cockiness. Scott sighed, getting up and offering a hand to the girl. She reluctantly took it, blushing deeply when the force of both of their pulling brought her straight to his chest. Kira stumbled into Scott's chest, knocking her forehead into his collarbone in the process. When he chuckled and helped her keep her balance, she shyly let go of his hand and took a small step back.

Scott was shocked out of the their little moment when the bell rang, signaling the end of fifth period. "What to you have next?" He asked, taking his bag from next to the door and swinging it onto his back.

Kira did the same, a faint blush still on her cheeks. "Physics with Mr. Fitzgerab-something." She stumbled over the complicated name, the blush deepening.

"We just call him Fitz." Scott politely corrected her. He stepped up and opened the door for her. "I have the same class. I can walk you."

"Okay." Kira let a small grin grace her face, but it faltered a bit when she realized what was happening. _You can't like him, _She told herself forcefully. _He has his pack are an assignment. They're just a job. _Even when she tried to convince herself, she knew that soon she would become fiends with this pack. They were just so tight nit and caring to each other. Ever since she started monitoring packs and become aware of the bond they all had with one another, she yearned to be part of one. All Kira wanted since she was thirteen was to have a special bond with someone she cared about.

"Kira?" Scott looked at her worriedly when she took a second before walking through the door he was holding. "You okay?"

Kira's head raised, blinking as she mentally made a decision "Yeah, I'm good." She silently walked with Scott to the next class, sighing. _It's gonna be hard leaving if he keeps being so sweet, _She thought.

* * *

><p>After a long study session with Lydia, Allison flopped on her bed like a fish. So many things were swirling through her head. Mostly, it was Stiles and Lydia. Allison had been understanding about Lydia's concern for the boy, but lately she had just been plain obsessive. It was even worse because of the fact that Lydia wouldn't just admit that she had more feelings for him than she did for Aiden. Her stubborn denial was just making Allison stressed.<em> The girl just needs to admit her feelings.<em>

Of course, that was a hypocritical thought. Allison had been avoiding talking about her feelings for weeks now. Every time Lydia brought up Isaac in their girl-talk, Allison would counter it by bringing up Stiles Most of their conversations ended in stubborn, awkward silence. Ally didn't know what she felt for Isaac, and Lydia didn't know what she felt for Stiles. _Or we now how we feel and just won't do anything about it._

Allison was brought out of her thought when Mel showed up in her doorway, leaning anxiously against the frame. "Hey, Alligator." Her voice was relaxed and stoic, but Allison could see by her busy eyes that something was troubling her cousin.

Allison gave Mel a small smile, patting the space on the bed next to her. Surprisingly, Mel flopped onto it with as much force as she had a moment ago. When Allison was about to speak, Mel cut her off. "Look, before you say anything, I already know you spoke to Kira. I have practically all of your stuff bugged, including your phone, so don't bother filling me in. Kira is totally into Scott, by the way."

Allison blinked, raising her eyebrows and turning to look at her cousin. "_What?_"

Mel rolled her eyes. "Don't act so surprised, I have the school bugged too. And yeah, the little fox may be shy, but she's not subtle." She sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs and playing with the watch on her wrist. "That's not what I came to talk about, though. I want to tell you what happened to my family."

Allison blinked again, sitting up. She was always curious about what really happened to Mel, why she was here, but was never sure if she wanted the answers. _I guess I'm getting them, _She thought.

Mel sighed shakily before starting. "It was a week before my eighteenth birthday, and I was going after a hostile pack of werewolves with my dad, while their alpha was out of territory. My mom wasn't too happy about staying behind, but she had to protect my sisters, Elle and Brandy." Taking in Allison shocked face, she paused before moving on. "Elle stayed behind on big hunts like this, because she was fifteen and only had two years of experience. Brandy was my age, but always stayed behind because she was the brains of every operation. Our family would have been nothing without her." At the memories of her sisters, Mel let out a tiny, sad smile. It was probably the most emotion Allison had ever seen out of her.

"The hunt went great. Dad and I took out every wolf and buried all of their bodies, no problem. But, while we were driving back, Elle called me. She was terrified. At first, I couldn't understand her through all of the screaming and crying-"

_"Elle? Elle, we're done, what's wrong? El-"_

_"Melissa! Mel, please- You have to get here now! She's hurt, Mel, she's dying!"_

_"What? Elle- I can't understand you! Wait, just- **Elle,**_ **_stop!_**"

"Her phone died, and I told Dad what she said. By the time we got home, my mom was a pile of shreds on the floor, Elle was having a panic attack, and Brandy was unconscious."

Allison put a hand over her mouth in shock, not saying a word. She knew if she did, Mel would never be able to finish her story. Her cousin looked at her and gave her a little shrug. "I know, surprising. Imagine how I felt." How she was so stoic, Allison didn't know.

Mel started speaking again, facing forward. "The alpha came back that night and somehow traced my scent back to our house. He figured he could avenge his pack by killing the most experienced hunter in our family, my mom. My dad tried to go after him while I stayed behind, but he never came back. He could be dead for all I know."

"After that night, I made sure my sisters were okay. Brandy was fine- she got off with a few broken bones and a busted lip. Elle was a _wreck_, though. Her mental stability slowly vanished until she got so bad that we had to check her into a mental hospital. She committed suicide seven months ago."

At this, Allison couldn't help but wrap an arm around her cousin. Mel, in an unusual show of compassion, leaned her head on Allison's. She sighed deeply, clenching her eyes shut. "I couldn't stay in town after that, so I left. I broke all contact with my boyfriend, Jake, the first and only boy I loved. Brandy was smart enough to take care of herself, that I knew, so I just up and left. Changed my number, my identity, and never stepped foot in that town again. I probably never will."

Her and Allison stayed silent after that, both girls taking in the memories Mel had shared. Everything was quiet, deadly so, until Mel got up and walked out the door. "By the way, tell Scott that I have a lead on that demon." She called behind her.

Allison was frozen.

* * *

><p>Lydia sighed nervously before knocking on Stiles door, regretting her decision of coming over. <em>It's not like you can leave now, <em>She reminded herself. _His dad let you in._

She held her breath as the door swung open, revealing a still-buff-and-handsome Stiles Stilinski. He blinked at her, raising both eyebrows slightly. "Lydia? Um-" He opened the door for her, closing it after she came in. "Hey."

"Hi, Stiles." She set down her bag next to his bed, trying not to stare at his muscular arms or the way his plaid, button-down shirt complimented his body type perfectly- _Christ, Lydia. Compose yourself._

"What are you doing here?" He asked, a bit awkwardly. Gone was the relaxed air the two always had with each other. Ever since the 'emotional tether' thing and oh god, _the_ _kiss_, their relationship was a bit strained. Stiles had been accepting of the fact that Lydia and Aiden were sort of a thing, but neither him nor Lydia new where they stood with one another.

Lydia cleared her throat, sitting on his bed with her hands in her lap. "I wanted to see how you were doing. You know, what you remember."

Stiles sighed and shifted on his feet, shrugging. "I'm fine, I guess. The demon isn't in me anymore, and I don't have a brain tumor, so that's good. I don't really remember anything, but Scott called Mel and she said we would work on it sometime next week-"

"I'm so sorry, Stiles." Lydia interrupted, her voice breaking at his name. Stiles looked over at her, finally noticed how red her eyes were and how her lips trembled. Not hesitating in the slightest, he kneeled down in front of her, eyebrows furrowing.

"Whoa, whoa. What's wrong?" He watched Lydia wipe away a tear with nothing but concern.

She sniffed, putting some hair behind her ear. "Were you going to kill yourself? The night I came over?" Lydia watch and Stiles stiffened, then slumped his shoulders and sighed in defeat. "Don't you dare lie to me." She commanded.

Stiles avoided her eyes, turning so he could sit facing away from her with his back against his bed frame. "I was thinking about it, Lyd. I wouldn't have done it with you there, though."

They were both quiet for a moment, while Lydia was talking in his confession. _I guess the demon was right. We were horrible to him. _She wanted to cry, looking at Stiles now. "So you would have waited until I left?"

Stiles sighed again, looing at his hands and playing with him fingers. "I don't know- maybe." He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking up at Lydia when she slid down to sit next to him.

Lydia pursed her lips, glancing to the side at Stiles. "Are you thinking of trying again?'

The boy stared back at her, blinking twice before shaking. "I-I don't know." He ran a ran through his hair, setting his elbows on his knees in front of him. "That probably depends on what I don't remember. I could've done _anything_, Lydia. I could have hurt someone. I could've _killed_ someon-"

"You didn't _do_ anything, Stiles!" Lydia snapped at him. She stood up angrily, pointing a finger down at him and pursing her lips. "Whatever happened, whatever you think you did- it was not _you!_ I know that, for sure, because you Stiles, are too good for any of that. You wouldn't hurt a _spider_." By the last word, she was screeching, so loud that Stiles covered his ears.

Stiles quickly got up, putting his hands on Lydia's arms and shaking her lightly. "Whoa, Lydia. Hold on!" He squinted at her distressed face. "What's wrong?"

Lydia sighed through her nose, shaking her head. "You could've _died_, Stiles. You could've died the night I came over, you could've died with that brain tumor, you could've died when you went missing, and I-" She paused, shifting her eyes to the ground. "I felt it. _All_ of it. Every second of the last few weeks I've bee stuck with this _feeling_ that I'm gonna get a call from Scott, telling me something happened to you. I've been going out of my _mind_ waiting for it, but now I'm just a sitting duck, waiting for the next bomb to go off! I can't _take_ not knowing that Alison, or Scott, or you are okay, Stiles!"

Stiles sighed at her, hesitantly pulling Lydia in for a hug. He put one hand on her head and the other on her lower back, rubbing it comfortingly when she hugged him tightly. He pushed his head against the side of hers, trying to stop her shaking "We'll all be okay, okay?" He muttered. "What we're going through now isn't anything like we have dealt with before, but we can pull through. We always do, right?"

She sighed against him, closing her eyes tightly. "Promise me you'll be okay, Stiles."

He didn't want to promise her anything, honestly, but he had to. Lydia needed something to hold on to, and this was it. "I promise I'll be alright, and so will you."

* * *

><p>Okay, guys! This took a long time to write, hopefully it's okay. Tell me what you guys think of Kira (I'm a scira shipper, if you couldn't tell) and Mel, maybe even leave a review? I seriously love to read them. Thanks to those who follow the story and keep checking in! Love you guys.<p>

-Jen :)


	10. Calamity: Part One

Hey guys! **_Super _****_sorry _**for the hiatus, I know it sucks waiting for stories. I'm trying to write more, honestly, but I've been working on an outline for my story on Wattpad and high school has been consuming my time. I'll do my best to continue this story and I'd really appreciate if you guys kept following and leaving comments, as every alert I get for them warms my heart.

* * *

><p>"Do you feel anything now?"<p>

"No."

"Okay, how about now?"

"Nope."

"How about now?"

"Nada, senorita."

"Can you _concentrate?_"

"Well, I would be able to if you weren't asking me questions every seven seconds-"

"Oh, aren't you snarky today! What's got you in such a good mood lately? Is it the homicidal demon running around Beacon Hills or the fact that we have a seventeen-year-old kitsune's mother spying on us?"

"Actually, the act of riling you a bit is making me very chipper, thanks-"

"Can you two _shut up?_" Lydia snapped at the two of them harshly, massaging her nose with her thumb and forefinger. Scott pat her back sympathetically, sighing in annoyance.

Scott, Lydia, and Allison were all in similar positions of exasperation, worn down from the endless bickering of Stiles and Mel. The five of them were all packed in Deaton's back room, with Stiles laying flat on the metal table while Allison's cousin was trying multiple demon-seeking and memory-retaining rituals on him. So far, none of them were working. While Mel claimed that Stiles just wasn't paying enough attention, the boy in question said multiple time that '-Mel's crazy witch workings were just no match against his new post-demon superpowers'. While he and Mel kept up their bitchy banter, Scott and Allison simply took watch and aided Mel when she asked for supplies. Lydia, on the other hand, was sitting on the countertop behind Scott and Allison, translating the Latin book on demons that Stiles gave her earlier that day. She had finished interpreting half of the book in the time they'd all been at Deaton's so far, since no one dared to interrupt her after she started. Until now, she hadn't said a single word.

"Yeah, guys, Lyds is right. We can't get any of this done while you two are fighting," Allison said. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Mel, do you want to just start the next ritual? You needed some wolfsbane and mountain ash, right?" When she started heading for Deaton's cabinets, Mel interrupted her.

"No, actually," She turned her back to them and started digging around the tools on the counter behind her. "I want to try something else."

"Okay, what is it?" Stiles sat up impatiently, hanging his legs off the table. When Mel suddenly turned back to them with a knife in one hand and a needle in the other, Stiles panicked so much that he flailed and fell of the table with a huge (humorous, in Mel's opinion) thud. "_Ow_-shit! Jesus Chri-Mel, what the hell? You can't just pull a _needle_ on someone like that!"

Mel raised a single eyebrow, turning her eyes from him to Scott. "So a needle is off-limits, but a knife is something he's okay with?"

Scott shrugged, reaching down and pulling Stiles up hastily. "He's got a thing with needles."

"Yeah, a completely _reasonable_ thing, thanks. Needles are pointy and sharp and mostly contain mysterious liquids that could kill me," When Stiles brushed his shirt off like a startled little kid who just got pushed into a sandbox, both Allison and Mel couldn't help but let out a little chuckles. Even though the two girls weren't blood related, they had developed the same tiny habits, which all of the pack noticed. Stiles called their shared little quirks _hunter traits_. "We aren't doing whatever ritual involves needles. Absolutely not."

Mel rolled her eyes, quickly setting the tools back on the counter before turning back to face Stiles. "Well, if you aren't going to stop being such a _baby, _there's really only one ritual left," She sighed, sticking in her hands the back pockets of her jeans. At her changed demeanor, the rest of the teens stiffened and Lydia brought her head up to look at Mel rather than the book. "-but you really aren't going to like it."

Scott's eyebrows furrowed in concern and he stepped forward. "What is it?"

Mel let out a deep breath. "I believe you've done it before, Stiles," She crossed her arms at looked from him to both Scott and Allison. "All three of you have, just not quite the same ritual."

"Wait," Stiles interjected. "You mean the memory-resurfacing thing with the ice bath?" At Lydia and Allison's confused looks, he shrugged. "We did it to Isaac, remember? It's how we found out that Erica died." His voice trailed off at the end awkwardly at the mention of Erica, making Mel raise one eyebrow at the teens' sudden grief-ridden faces.

She clapped her hands together once to get their attention, smirking at heir startled faces. "Well, from what Allison has told me, it won't be exactly the same. When Isaac did it, it was to retrieve memories that _he_ had repressed. When you three did it, you were trying to find the location of the Nematon." She sighed, looking at Stiles pointedly. "You're doing this to try to find memories that you have absolutely no control over. The demon either took them out completely or pressed them back so far into your head that you can't reach them on your own. In the latter case, you'll have to go deep through your mind and pass your worst memories to get the ones you're missing."

Scott looked at his best friend, immediately concerned. He knew only the basics of some of Stiles's worst experiences and could only imagine what they would do to him if he had to relive them. Allison stepped around the table and put a supporting hand on Stiles's shoulder, making him look down at her. "You don't have to do that, Stiles. Not if you don't want to." She spoke softly. Stiles gave her a little nod, sighing. The two had talked earlier that day, since Allison wanted to fill him in on what he had missed. She had also managed to apologize to him, allowing them both to be more calm around each other.

Lydia narrowed her eyes slightly at the two of them, but stayed silent. The banshee didn't want anyone to know that, along with having a freaking _crush_ on Stiles Stilinski, she had a jealousy streak that seemed to flare up at only the worst of times. She turned her eyes to the boy in question and her shoulders sagged, knowing that what he would have to go through would weigh hard on him until this was all over.

Stiles, as if knowing that she was looking, glanced quickly over his shoulder at her. When he raised his eyebrows at her in question, she gave him a tiny nod. They both knew that, if he had to do this, she would have to be the one to push him under. Just like last time.

Stiles turned back to Mel, pursing his lips. "Okay. Let's do it."

"Alright," Mel smirked at Stiles, almost proud that the kid was willing to do this. "Call Isaac, Scott. Get him and Derek."

Scott's eye furrowed again. "Why?"

Mel tossed him a towel from behind her, which he caught and swiftly wrapped around his neck. "From the looks on your faces, some of Stiles's memories are really, really bad. Am I right?"

The silence that followed indicated that she definitely was.

Stiles stepped forward. "You are, but why would we need Isaac and Derek?"

"You'll fight reaching your memories and try your best to get out of the tub as quick as you can, subconsciously. If you succeed, your body will no doubt go into shock. You could even have a panic attack. We need to make sure you stay in that water for as long as you can without your heart stopping."

* * *

><p>Kira walked down the hall that lead to her parents' apartment, happily swinging the two bags of groceries she carried. Approaching the door, she set one bag down and pulled her key out of her pocket, inserting it in the lock and opening the door, all the while humming Taylor Swift's <em>Blank Space.<em>

"Taylor Swift? Seriously?" Kira immediately threw her key in the direction of the voice with ninja precision, crouching into a fighting position. When she saw who had caught the key, however, she sighed and relaxed.

"Jake, you asshole! I told you a long time ago to stop scaring me like that. I could've killed you!" She brought her groceries inside and set them on the oak coffee table in the middle of her living room, slamming the door behind her.

The blonde nineteen-year-old chuckled, tossing Kira's key back to her. "Please, you couldn't scratch me." He outright laughed at the annoyed look she gave him, walking across the room and wrapping her up in a bear-hug. Kira was practically consumed by his tall, broad frame, as the top of her head barely grazed his shoulder. He sighed, patting her lower back. "Missed you, Kit."

"Kit?" She pulled back, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, come on. You already forgot the nickname I gave you? It's only been a couple of months." He faked a wounded look, poking out his lower lip.

Kira smiled and shook her head at him, the familiarity of the name finally coming back to her. "Kit for kitsune, right. Sorry, Jakey."

Jake grunted, falling back on the couch and looking up at her. "So, what's up? Anything new?"

"Well," Kira started, plopping down next to him. "I'm working with a new pack."

At the tone of her voice, Jake's eyebrows raised and he sat up. "And what's so new about it?"

Kira perked up, excited she could finally tell someone about this amazing new pack. She couldn't tell her mother, of course, because revealing that she actually spoke to them would get her in major trouble. "First of all, they have a banshee! She's super gorgeous and also best friends with a hunter, who's in the pack as well. It's weird, honestly, because there's a ton of variety in that one little group. There are a set of twins who used to be alphas but aren't anymore, and a beta, and another alpha turned beta named Derek. I think they have an emissary, or maybe two, because I always see them talking to the towns local vet and another hunter-girl showed up a little while ago. She's staying with the Argents, apparently, but I don't know anything about her. She's _really_ good at hiding. Then there's Sc-" She cut off her rambling, cheeks heating up in an obvious blush. "Um, Scott. He's a true alpha."

Jake titled his head and smirked, catching on to Kira's little crush immediately. "And you like him?"

"What? N-No, I don't!" She blinked innocently, getting up and walking over towards the kitchen. "Even if I did, which I don't, I can't. Mom would kill me."

"She's just looking out for you, Kit. I don't blame her." He got up and followed her, bringing her groceries with him and setting them on the kitchen counter. "You know how dangerous werewolves can be." When their eyes met, Kira sighed at the underlying meaning of his words. She did know how dangerous werewolves could be, because that's how they met.

About six months ago, Kira's mother gave her an investigation case in an extremely small town in order to earn her second fox tail. When she arrived, she discovered that a family of hunters had been attacked by the alpha of a pack they'd taken out. The mother was killed by the alpha, the father missing, and one of three sisters dead from a successful suicide attempt. Kira was sent by her mother to find the alpha and father, but all she ended up doing was spending time with another hunter, Jake Mason, who was searching for the two sisters at the time. At first, Kira was a bit afraid of him finding out that she was a kitsune, but he turned out to be extremely okay with it.

See, Jake was more of a liberal hunter. He only did his job when necessary and only killed if whatever harmful creature he was hunting wasn't willing to change. He never really told her why he was looking for the two sisters in the first place, but she had discovered his relationship with one of them, the first girl to disappear, after she had found a letter written to him in his car when he was driving her to get a new katana three months ago. Reading it nearly made her cry, and she had only got through half before he noticed, gently took it out of her hands, and stuffed it in his pocket. He never elaborated on it, but Kira had figured out from the letter that the girl, whoever she was, loved Jake more than anything and hoped he wouldn't hate her for leaving.

Even with the lack of information on his past, Kira had become fast friends with Jake and the two kept in touch when they parted ways the first time. He had continuously checked in with her, as she was always grateful for his company. Eventually, her parents warmed up to him and Jake became a surrogate brother and son in their tiny family.

Jake helped her put the groceries in the right place, instinctively knowing where the Yukimura's would put different items. "Look, I'm not gong to tell you to stay away from this guy. If he's a true alpha, he has to be at least decent," When the two were done sorting the groceries, he leaned on the kitchen counter as Kira hopped up and sat upon it. "I'm just going to tell you to be careful. Getting too involved in your cases is almost never a good idea."

Kira nodded, pursing her lips. "Got it."

He suddenly brightened, smirking playfully. "So... I got a new set of throwing knives."

"Really?" Kira gasped, jumping down from the counter excitedly. Jake laughed and nodded, so the two of them were immediately heading for the Yukimura's training room.

* * *

><p>Lydia glanced up from the huge, dusty book that she'd been translating for hours, noticing that Stiles was completely silent on the other side of Deaton's back room.<p>

He was never completely silent.

The two were alone, as everyone seemed to have some job to do before they dunked Stiles in a freezing tub of water. Mel went back to the Argent's to get some herbs that she planned to have Stiles soak in to make the procedure safer, and Scott had went with Allison to get ice and a thermometer that they could use in the water. Derek and Isaac still hadn't arrived from the loft across town. Since nobody dared to interrupt Lydia's interpreting session, she was left behind to watch over Stiles.

Lydia noticed the lack of fidgeting or pacing from Stiles almost instantly. His nervous movements almost always made noise, a quirk of his that had now become both familiar and endearing to her. His silence, on the other hand, was a clear indication that something was wrong. She quickly folded the corner of the page she was nearly done with, closing the book and cautiously waking towards him. "Stiles?"

When he looked up at her, the slight indentation between his eyebrows and the quivering of his lips was clear indication of his inner turmoil. To Lydia, he looked almost helpless, and most definitely terrified. "I don't know if I can handle this, Lydia." His breath suddenly hitched and his eyes glazed over for a second, sending a wave of panic into the girl standing before him.

Lydia put a soothing hand on his arm, her eyes widening at his sudden change in demeanor. "It's okay, Stiles. You're alright. I just need you to calm down, okay?" She knew that she wasn't doing the best job at comforting him, as his breathing sped up despite her actions. It made sense, though, that she wasn't good at this. She wasn't used to helping him, despite the couple of times she had before. Stiles was always the calm one when she was panicked; Even his sarcastic comments and anxious behavior was soothing to her at this point. She wasn't familiar with him needing help, let alone from herself.

"I know, I just-" Stiles started to hyperventilate, placing one hand on his chest and the other on the counter next to him. "I really don't know if I can do this, Lydia. The first time was horrible enough. I was a freakin' _wreck_ when my mom died, and it didn't exactly help that my dad became a borderline alcoholic. I couldn't handle trying to help my dad, I couldn't handle missing my mom so much that it hurt, and I could just barely handle all of my friends nearly dying all the time. I nearly tried to _kill_ _myself_, Lydia, and I don't-" He shut his eyes as his breath hitched, shaking his head. "I don't want to do that again, to try that again. I can't do this. Please, I have to tell Mel that I cant do this."

There was a beat of horrible silence before Stiles opened his eyes, instantaneously regretting his outburst at the look on Lydia's face. She was scared, shocked, and devastated all at once. Worst of all, Stiles saw pity. He hated pity, especially from his friends, which was the main reason he always kept himself from blowing up like this. He tried to turn away from her, but grunted in pain when he chest tightened further and his breathing rapidly sped up.

Making a quick decision, Lydia took his face in her hands and forced him to face her. She ignored the alarming rate of his chest movements and concentrated on getting him to calm down before she had a panic attack of her own. "Stiles," She started. "You have to calm down, okay? Just focus on me." She demonstrated a couple deep breaths, sighing when Stiles's chest adjusted to follow hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes and waited until Stiles had clam down to pull away from each other. Lydia stepped back, watching as Stiles hands came together and started fiddling as usual.

He looked up at her again, jaw clenching. "I'm sorry. I, uh, shouldn't have freaked out like that."

Lydia rolled her eyes at his obvious guilt. "You don't have to apologize, Stiles," She turned, hopping up to sit on the metal counter next to him and swinging her heel-clad shoes. She glanced over at him and pursed her lips. "And you definitely don't have to go through with this if you don't want to."

"I want to know what happened in all those weeks that I can't remember," He sighed. "I'd just rather not see my mom dying again, you know? It wasn't exactly a picnic the first time."

Lydia pat his shoulder sympathetically. "Well, we'll all be here with you. I may not know what your going through, but you have Allison and Derek and Isaac," She sighed. "The point is, you won't be alone. We're all going to be right outside the tub, and my hands are going to be in there with you."

He chuckled, glancing over at her. "You're sure you want to push me in? Your nail polish might freeze and chip off." He laughed when her hand moved his face, pushing his head away playfully.

"Shut up, Stiles," She smiled at him, hopping down from the counter upon hearing a car pull up outside. "You're going to be okay, you know. If anyone I know is strong enough to go through anything, it's definitely you." Their eyes met and Lydia squeezed his shoulder sincerely, pulling back when Mel walked in with a backpack slung over one shoulder.

The hunter looked between the two of them, eyebrows raising. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, we were just-" Lydia started.

"Discussing how long it would actually take you to get ingredients for whatever Stiles soup you were planning to make." Stiles finished for her smugly, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Watch yourself, Stilinski. I could lie and make you stay in that tub more than need be." She retorted.

Allison walked in carrying a bag of ice in each hand and Scott followed, holding at least five in his arms. Isaac walked in behind them carrying a few jugs of water, while Derek trailed behind, giving a curious look to Mel.

He glanced over her once, raising a single eyebrow in a look that she immediately returned. He stuck a hand out reluctantly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Derek."

Mel simply glanced at his hand before moving her eyes back up to his face. "Mel." She turned after a second, going back to the counter where she laid her backpack and pulling out three small vials of multicolored powders. She handed one to Stiles and popped the caps of the other two, dumping them into the tub as Scott and Isaac filled it with water and ice.

Stiles looked down at the tiny tube, popping the cap open and sniffing it curiously. He looked up at Mel expectantly. "What's this for?"

Mel started dumping ice into the bucket with Allison. "It's called Daemonem Se Repellunt. In simple words, it's a type of mountain ash especially used for demons. If whatever we're trying to catch decides it wants to invade you again, it's going to have to go trough a hell of a struggle first," She patted the rim of the tub when it was filled to the top, standing up. "It's my last batch, though, so don't take all of it. Snort some up your nose or something."

When all was sorted, after Stiles had reluctantly snorted the mountain ash and peeled off his jacket to reveal a grey V-neck, Lydia rolled up her sleeves as the other surrounded Stiles and the tub. He reluctantly stepped in, mouth parting in a silent gasp as he slowly started to sink into the tub. Lydia placed her hands on his shoulders, gently gripping them and pushing down when he started to hesitate. He looked up her for a second and shut his eyes as his face submerged, his final gasp loud in the tense silence of the room. All the while he was shivering, his entire body shaking and thrashing as it rapidly tried to adjust to the cold. Mel glanced up a her cousin pointedly, so Allison took out the thermometer that she and Scott had gotten and set it in the water, bringing out after a few seconds.

"The water's at a little less than forty degrees." She said.

Mel crossed her arms, watching as Lydia's arms started growing goose bumps and Stiles's skin paled. She tapped her fingers on her arms anxiously. "He's not going to start fighting until his body starts going through severe hypothermia and his subconscious instincts kick in," At the concerned looks on everyone's faces, she held her hands out defensively. "Calm down, okay? The stuff that I put in the bath will make sure that the hypothermia will wear off when he starts warming up. He'll be fine."

Suddenly, Stiles lurched up and Lydia yelled as her hand was slammed against the side of the tub. Derek, Isaac, and Scott all held him down, their shirts getting soaked as the water splashed around Stiles. He started coughing and bucking his body out of the water, desperately trying to escape the hold of his friend's. After at least thirty seconds of this, Scott started to panic. He looked up at Mel with a desperate look on his face. "How do we help him!?"

"Just keep him under, Scott." Mel stepped forward and took Lydia's place at his shoulders, keeping his head under the water. The strawberry blonde was cradling her fast bruising wrist, watching the scene intently until Allison came over to check on her.

Stiles let out one final shout before his body stilled, rising to the top slowly just as Isaac's did all those months ago. His mouth parted in a small gasp and everyone started to calm down as his breathing steadied.

"Alright. Nobody talk but Scott and I. We can't confuse him," Mel started, setting her hands on the side of the tub gently. She cleared her throat and kept her eyes on Stiles's face, watching for signs that he was still semiconscious. His eyelids were moving and his lips trembling, signaling to her that he was having the right reactions. She waited a moment before deciding to speak. "Stiles, it's Mel. Can you tell me what you see?"

After a few silent seconds, Scott moved forward. "Stiles," He called out. "Talk to me, man. What do you see?"

Stiles's eyes opened slowly, staring at the light on the ceiling with a black look. His words trembled as he spoke. "It-It's red. It's red and purple and blue and orange. It looks like..." He trailed off, his voice falling out as he shivered.

Mel met Scott's eyes and nodded for him to go on. "Stiles," He tried again. "What is it? What do you see?"

Stiles's eyes blinked slowly, his head bobbing calmly in the water. "I saw my mom-her and her grave," At that, most of the packed looked down solemnly, a horrible feeling of grief passing through them.

Mel, however, caught on to Stiles's use of past tense. "What do you see now, Stiles? You said it was red and orange, remember?"

Stiles closed his eyes once again and stayed silent for minutes, the buzzing of the light and the serene splashing of the water being the only things the pack could hear until he spoke again. "Fire," He answered finally. "I see fire."

The rest of the pack watched at Mel's eyes widened in alarm and her mouth dropped open in shock. "Get him out," She sputtered. When no one moved, she raised her eyebrows at them expectantly. "I said, _get him out_. Now! On three, come on!" She grasped Stiles's arm firmly and waited until the werewolves followed. "One, two, three-!"

In a huge wave and splash of water, the four pulled Stiles out with so much force that he was lurched to his feet. He gasped loudly and immediately started to shiver. Lydia stepped forward and picked up the towel that had dropped from Scott's shoulders, wrapping it around Stiles as he stepped out of the tub. Scott helped her support Stiles as they walked him over to the counter, helping him lean against it. Stiles panted and wiped his eyes, shaking water out of his hair like a shaggy dog. Lydia glanced at him, annoyed when water dripped across her forehead.

Allison looked over at Mel worriedly and furrowed her eyebrows at her cousin's shell-shocked face "What happened?"

Mel looked back her, eyebrows raising expectantly. When Allison only continued to look confused, she seemed almost annoyed. "Your dad didn't teach you anything about demons or otherwise, did he?" When Allison shook her head, Mel dragged a hand over her face.

"Now that we've established that even Allison is in the dark here, Mel, can you tell us what the _hell_ that was?" Lydia interrupted the silence, agitated. Stiles's arm was wrapped around her shoulder as she tried to warm him up, her hand rubbing across his back. Scott took a moment to notice the contact between the two, his eyebrows furrowing in curiosity before he looked back at Mel expectantly.

"It wasn't a demon that possessed Stiles," Mel started pacing as she stuttered through what she was trying to tell them. "I mean, he was, but the bastard definitely didn't start that way."

"Wait," Derek interrupted, eyebrows raising in disbelief as he understood what Mel was getting at. "You're serious?" When the hunter nodded back at him, he muttered a few select curse words and started heading out, calling back to them quickly that he was going to find Peter.

Isaac crossed his arms impatiently. "Okay, seriously, what's going on?"

Mel stopped her pacing and looked at Stiles, placing her hands on her hips worriedly. "Did the demon say anything before you were possessed? Ask you anything, something like that?"

Stiles nodded. "He told me to let go. To let him in." When Mel's demeanor went from worried to borderline hysteric, he stiffened. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"We're not dealing with any old demon," She stated surely. "What possessed you was a fallen angel, Xaphan. He became a demon after hell was created."

The pack was completely stunned for a second as they processed the new information. Lydia stiffened as Stiles's arm tightened around her and Scott glanced at his best friend in shock. Allison looked nervously at the three of them, her lower lip bitten between her teeth.

"Wait," Isaac started, his arms crossed. "If the thing's still a demon, what's the big deal?"

Mel sighed. "Former fallen angels and demons have different types of souls. Fallen angels actually have to do something to earn being kicked out of Heaven, but demon's are usually just souls that go to Hell after they die and end up returning to our world. When angels need to possess people, they need some form of consent. You let him in, Stiles, just as he asked," She said reluctantly. Scott pat Stiles's shoulder and Lydia started to rub his back again, the two of them trying to keep their friend from feeling any worse that he probably already did. Mel started pacing again, waving her hand as she started explaining again. "Xaphan was an angel that rebelled along with Lucifer, who was basically the first angel to rebel against God. Xaphan was cast into Hell with him after trying to literally _burn down_ Heaven, and legends say that he's in charge of keeping Hell on fire."

"So we're not dealing with a demon, just a pyromaniac fallen angel. That's great." Stiles said dryly.

Lydia rolled her eyes at his sarcastic comments, trying hard to keep from chuckling. She really shouldn't have been laughing, but Stiles's snide comment somehow always made her crack. "Stiles, will you just-"

"No, I'm being serious! Kate was an arsonist, sure, but she has nothing on an actual _angel_. I'm kind of excited."

"Shut _up_, Stiles."


End file.
